


Turn a Blind Eye

by Naferty



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bit of Angst Bofur, Bofur becomes shy, Bofur is the target, Dubious Consent, F/M, Fili is dominent, Fili is the potion's victim, Give it a try, Kili is wise sometimes, Love Potion/Spell, M/M, Mpreg, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Quick Development, There is also Bofur Crying, Yes Bofur is the Pregnant One
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-23
Updated: 2014-06-29
Packaged: 2018-01-09 17:29:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 61,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1148831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Naferty/pseuds/Naferty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Love is a tricky thing. It finds you in different ways and reveals itself in the most oddest of circumstances. However, can you still call it love when that circumstance is against someone's will? This is the case for Bofur, and discovering the truth might hurt more than the lies.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Love is Bind in Liquid.

**Author's Note:**

> I planned for this to be three chapters or so, but it's quickly becoming a small novel. Still, I'll hold myself back and keep it fairly short. I even have a sequel planned if it's well received. Hope you enjoy~! And tell me what you think.

Curiosity was many things with different outcomes. 

It was either good or bad. It could reveal truth and give knowledge, but it could also tell lies and cause harm. To those lucky enough it handed them happiness and joyous endings. To those who weren’t it only caused pain and had horrid consequences.

Bofur could tell you that right now that the latter was exactly what was happening to him, and the gods themselves were gaining amusement from his sheer suffering.

Never once did he expect something to happen to him on the journey to reclaim the mountain from the fire breathing dragon Smaug. Well, it wasn’t exactly happening to _him_ per say, but somehow it _involved_ him.

And all because of curiosity.

It started days after leaving the Shire. Particularly, it happened on the morning of the fifth day from leaving the Shire. The company had been waking up and rubbing the night from their eyes. Already Bombur had started breakfast, and after eating his share and preventing his brother from having thirds, Bofur began the day as normal.

He made his way to saddle up his pony, successfully adjusting the straps and preparing for the long journey ahead. But this particular morning wasn’t going to stay on route.

From the far distance, hidden away from vegetation, he heard whispers and hushed conversations. The voices sounded familiar, so he figured it was a member of the company and not an enemy waiting to ambush him. He debated whether to stay put and return back to camp or go forth and find those responsible for the secretive meeting. Eventually, curiosity won him over and he ventured forth to see who was hiding behind the bush.

Not much of a surprise he found the brothers Kili and Fili whispering and pointing at something towards a rock wall. “Lads, what’re you doin’?” He asked when he reached them.

“Bofur!” Kili called brightly. “Just in time.”

“We found a cave of sorts over by the moss covering on that stone wall.” Fili explained.

“We believe there may be treasure there!” Kili continued.

“Kili believes it, actually. I just think it’s an old cave with nothing inside.”

Kili ignored his brother and looked excitingly at Bofur. “We were just about to explore it. Care to join us?”

Bofur smiled at the adventurous lads, but tried to place reason inside their heads. “I don’t think that is a good idea. We’re about to leave soon.”

“Just a quick look! We’ll be there and back before you know it!” Not even waiting for an answer Kili marched off towards the brush and disappeared somewhere along the stone wall. His brother not far behind.

After a while Bofur followed after them, finding the cave with minor difficulties when he realized he had no idea in what direction it was hidden in. Half the wall covered with moss wasn’t much of a help either.

At first all they found inside the cave was dirt, dust and webs. Not a single treasure to be found. They walked in deeper and when they reached the end of the hollow they found it wasn’t treasure like gold or jewels that was hidden inside, it was bottles. A ton of bottles. A bunch of _empty_ bottles.

“Well, lads I got’a say you found riches in this cave.” Bofur teased.

“And here I was hoping we could have found something of interest.” Kili whined and kicked the dirt disappointedly.

“Hold on. Some of the bottles over there have liquid inside.” Fili pointed to a corner and walked closer to inspect the set. There were a total of three, still intact bottles, two of which were a bright color of red and white and one that was the color of grass.

“What kind of liquid do you think that is?” Kili wondered and grabbed one of the red-white bottles.

“I can tell ya that it ain’t ale. Pity.” Bofur grabbed hold of the green bottle.

Fili grabbed the last bottle and uncorked it. It emitted a hissing sound when he did and nearly made him spill the substance when he pushed it away abruptly in surprise.

“Don’t open it! We don’t know what’s inside. It could be poison fer all we know.” Bofur said and placed the green bottle back as if it burned.

Kili followed his lead and place his red-white bottle back too. The bottle never made a soft landing, however. It crashed against the stone floor -surprisingly still intact- when a rat, one of the biggest rats Kili had ever seen! Jumped out from a spot between two stones and hissed at him before disappearing outside of the cave. Kili was so startled that he jumped back two steps and, quite literally, collided against his brother who was just about to close the bottle in his hand before his arms were abruptly pushed against him. Fili had no time to react when the substance in the bottle jumped out straight towards him from the impact and landed square on his face. Some of the liquid successfully getting in both his eyes.

He was so shocked that he dropped the bottle instantly and closed his eyes in an attempt to stop any more liquid from seeping inside. Quickly he brought both his hands up and desperately tried to get rid of the offending fluid.

“Kili!” Fili growled, because after all it was his brother’s fault. If he hadn’t gotten scared from a little rat then he wouldn’t have jumped and bumped into him.

Fili’s boot tripped over a stone and toppled him over when he tried to take a step back. He landed on his rear and would have continued the fall if it hadn’t been for his brother grabbing him by his arm and pulling him back.

“Fili!” Kili cried and kneeled to his brother’s line of sight. “Fili are you alright?!”

“I’m fine. Some of the liquid got into my eyes.” Fili didn’t dare to open his eyes and kept both his hands pressed against them.

“Lad! Can you open your eyes? Do they hurt?” Bofur kneeled next to Kili and looked over the blonde brother.

“I don’t dare to.”

“Oin. We need Oin! He’ll know what to do!”

“I’ll go fetch him! Bofur, can you?” Kili didn’t even finish his question. Bofur knew exactly what he was going to ask.

“Of course, lad. Go, I’ll keep an eye on him.” Bofur moved to kneel in front of Fili when his brother ran out of the cave like Bombur runs for his dinner.

“Fili? Your brother went to fetch Oin. They’ll be back soon. You need to tell me, do your eyes hurt in any way? Do they sting? Do you feel anything?”

To Bofur’s horror Fili didn’t answer any of his questions. In fact, the golden-haired dwarf was uncomfortably quiet, too quiet. He just sat there with his upper body being held by Bofur, not once moving compared to before.

“Fili? Fili! Wake up! Open your eyes, lad!” Bofur started shaking the younger dwarf from his shoulders, and only when he spotted a small frown forming on his face and his eyelids twitching did Bofur relax, only slightly.

Much to his relief Fili started to open his eyes slowly. His eyelids fluttered open to show the cerulean color that Bofur found to be absolutely reassuring. If they had turned out grey or any other color than Bofur would have a reason to worry, but because they weren’t he could check off becoming blind as a result from the unknown liquid. Or so he hoped.

“Fili? Can you see? Do your eyes feel any pain?” Bofur lifted the younger dwarf’s face by his chin to have a better look. Fili had them open, but for some reason the eyes looked distant, out of place. “Fili?” Bofur tried again.

Fili blinked. He blinked a couple of times before his eyes came back to focus, or at least that’s what Bofur thought they did. Now instead of looking distant they looked… shocked, with a hint of amazement, or somewhere along the lines of it.

“Bofur?” The golden-haired dwarf finally spoke.

“Aye. How are ya feelin’? Your eyes, are they damaged in any way?”

Fili breathed out, and unless Bofur was mistaken, inched closer to his face. “I’ve never been better.”

Before Bofur could question him any further, or scoot back from the younger dwarf, Fili was on him in an instant, pressing his soft, pink lips against his own. Shocked from the action, Bofur found he couldn’t move, let alone think. Fili took advantage of this and wrapped his hands around the older dwarf’s face and pressed even harder against him. His tongue darted inside the other’s, seeing as Bofur’s mouth was wide open from shock, and Fili wasted no time. He kissed both ferociously and passionately. His eyes were closed as he pushed his body against Bofur’s, causing the other to fall over and land on his back, but this didn’t detour Fili. He simply climbed over without separating their mouths and continued.

Bofur’s mind was completely blank. Not only was it blank from the fact that he was being kissed, but the one kissing him was none other than Fili, prince under the mountain, nephew to Thorin-too serious I won’t take your pathetic jokes-Oakenshield, and not three minutes ago didn’t show any interest whatsoever in Bofur. He was so stunned that when Fili pushed his tongue inside his mouth and pushed him against the ground he couldn’t do _anything_ to stop him, or fight back in any way.

And so the kiss continued to the point where Bofur couldn’t breathe because Fili was _almost sucking_ out the air from his lungs. To add more to his already traumatized mind and dismay Bofur found his body was _reacting_ to the kiss. It didn’t help matters that Fili was grinding against him. If Bofur didn’t put a stop to this soon he feared things were going to escalate too quickly, and the last thing he needed was to have the entire company, Bilbo and Gandalf find him with his trousers off, or worst of all have _Thorin_ find him defiling his nephew. Even though it was the other way around.

Before he could even make a move to stop everything a loud, booming voice spoke and echoed through the small cave, causing Fili to finally pull back, much to Bofur’s relief, but to his horror the voice came from the _last_ person he wanted to be caught doing this with.

“Fili! Bofur! What is the meaning of this?!” Thorin marched inside the cave with Kili right behind his heels and the rest of the company following after.

“F-Fili? W-what are you both _doing_?!” Kili cried in shock.

Fili looked innocently at his uncle and brother, completely unfazed at having been caught by them. He answered cheerily at them like nothing ever happened. “Good morning, uncle. I was just spending some quality time with Bofur. Did you need something?”

Bofur on the other hand looked completely terrified, and when Thorin shot him a glare he had the sudden urge to dig a hole and bury himself, or find a tall cliff and jump off. Anything was better than having to face Thorin’s wrath. “I-it’s not what it looks like! I- he! Fili suddenly started to act like this! H-he’s under some kind of spell!” He proclaimed, but it only earned him a growl and a sword inches from his face.

“May I interfere?” Gandalf, the great and wonderful Gandalf, walked forward and looked at both Fili and Bofur, studying the two. “Now,” He gestured to Kili “you said you found bottles with a mysterious liquid inside. May I see them?”

Kili wasted no time and ran to get the two last bottles that still had the suspicious liquid. “Fili got splashed by this one.” He passed the red-white bottle to Gandalf who studied it intently.

“Where did the liquid make contact?”

“Mostly on his face. Some of it got in his eyes.” Kili answered.

Gandalf’s eyes twinkle in realization and his lips formed a small, comical smile. “I believe Master Bofur is correct. Our dear Fili _is_ under a spell.”

“What?!” Thorin exclaimed. “What kind of spell causes my nephew to suddenly become smitten with one of my company?!”

Gandalf chuckled. “Why, the spell of love of course.”

Everyone in the cave suddenly had their mouths fall open in shock, minus the wandering wizard and the lovesick dwarf. Bofur was on the verge of passing out, and he would have too! If it wasn’t for the same lovesick dwarf snatching his face and kissing him again.

What are the odds that something like this would happen to him?


	2. To be Young and Wise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bofur gets the shovel talk.

It took both Thorin and Dwalin working together to haul Fili off of Bofur. Afterwards it took both Kili and Dwalin to keep him separated and a fair distance away from him, least they wanted the cave scene to repeat again.

Bofur was kept on one side of the company while Fili was kept on the other. Thorin was shouting up a storm and demanding Gandalf to do something about the spell.

“I’m afraid there is not much I can do. A _potion_ is what is causing young Prince Fili to behave as so, and only a _potion_ will stop it. If another had placed this spell upon him than maybe I’d be more of help.”

“So what? Is Fili going to live the rest of his days pinning after Bofur?” Thorin spat the name as if it was a curse; clearly he was not enjoying the situation and didn’t care if Bofur was an earshot away and flinching at his every word.

“Don’t be a fool. Potion spells have no permanent effect. Sooner or later the spell will fade off and young Fili will be right as rain. Forgetting the incident ever happened.”

“And how long will that take?”

“I cannot say. Depending on the potency of the potion it could take hours, days, maybe even a month or two. I suggest in the meantime keep them both separated.” Gandalf pointed at Fili and Bofur.

“Are we to just continue our journey like nothing?” Thorin kept pressing. “Fili won’t be of use if he can’t fight!”

“Fili is in love. He’s hardly incapable of functioning like the rest of you dwarfs. If he needs to he will take up arms, but for the rest of the evening he will be distracted.” Gandalf looked to Bofur. “You might want to get used to the attention. You will be getting a lot of it.”

Bofur swallowed nervously and looked down. The company was already set and ready to continue their journey. Their only delay was Gandalf explaining what exactly was happening to Fili, and according to the wizard the young golden prince was under the effects of a sort of lust potion, at least that’s what Bofur was calling it. There was no way Fili was in love with him, potion or not. The one under the effect of the potion falls in lust for the first body they see, which happened to be Bofur. He either has the greatest luck around, or the worst, considering the chances of something like this happening.

Bofur almost bolted when Thorin headed straight for him, his eyes fierce with anger and protection. “Listen carefully. Fili may be under a spell, but you do well to keep away from him. Do not encourage it, and do not use it.” Thorin growled at him. “Understand?”

Bofur nodded rapidly. “I understand.” 

That was the end of that. The company returned to their ponies and continued the morning journey in silence. Thorin didn’t say another word. Gandalf found the entire thing amusing. Kili and Dwalin struggled to keep Fili from steering his pony too close to Bofur. The rest of the company, minus Bilbo, made it their goal to poke and prod poor Bofur for entertainment, especially his brother.

“So, you went and snatched yourself a prince, ey?” Bombur snickered and earned a groan from Bofur.

“Please for all that is mighty don’t do this to me, brother. I have a king breathing down my neck and a prince who wants to ambush me. I don’t need you to poke fun. I didn’t plan for this to happen.”

“The prince wants more than to ambush you. Careful he doesn’t strip you down from your breeches.”

“Bombur!” Bofur hissed and threw whatever item he could grab hold of to his brother. He looked to make sure that Thorin, Kili or Dwalin hadn’t heard him say that. “Are you trying to send me to an early grave?”

“I would never. I’m just trying to send you to our golden prince’s open arms.”

Bofur punched him on his arm, and to save himself from a gruesome death he slowed his pony to take up the rear of the lineup. Thorin, Kili and Fili were riding up front, and to stay alive for another day he didn’t care if he was all the way in the back and away from company.

The incident in the cave and the knowledge that Fili was under a spell was still fresh in his mind. How couldn’t they be? Something like this doesn’t happen every day. What are the odds that they managed to find a lust potion inside a cave (of all places!) and somehow it ends up getting splashed on a prince of Erebor causing him to fall in love (lust!) with _himself_ of all dwarfs. He was hardly fit to have a prince’s attention.

Wait… What was he thinking?

Worthy or not of a prince he shouldn’t care for it! It’s not like Bofur harbored any feelings for the lad.

He admits the young prince did catch his eye upon their first meeting. A dwarf with golden hair was rare to come by after all. It never escalated from simple curiosity, though, so why did he react the way he did when Fili kissed him? Granted he reacts like that to _any_ kiss, not that he gets kissed often, but for some reason it felt different this time. His body burned just seconds after the kiss started. He wanted more. He wanted it to go further.

Bofur blushed bright red when he realized that he _wanted_ more, and covered his face with his hands in an attempt to hide. He felt the reigns scratch against his skin as it tugged forward with the pony’s steps. He _shouldn’t_ want more. It was _wrong_ to want more. Fili was under a spell and it would be wrong to take advantage of it.

Bofur’s eyes widened suddenly. Did _he_ get splashed too? Did some of the potion make contact with him? That would explain _why_ he wanted to go further with Fili, but he never felt a drop land on him. If it wasn’t the potion than what was making him think like this?

His hands pressed harder against his face. It was a good thing he was all the way in the back and away from prying eyes. The last thing he wanted was to explain the company why he was blushing and attempting to hide.

“Why are you riding all the way in the back?”

Bofur nearly jumped in the air and caused his pony to trip over. For the life of him his heart was about ready to jump out his chest from having Fili sneak up on him out of nowhere. How had he not noticed?

“Lad! Are you trying to kill me?” He placed a hand to his heart.

Fili smiled innocently. “Course not. Do you mind if I ride along with you?” He steered his pony and inched his face closer to Bofur’s.

“I, uh.” Bofur looked desperately towards the front where he searched for any of the prince’s family or Dwalin, but the company succeeded in keeping him blind. “S-shouldn’t you be w-with your uncle or brother? I’m sure they are worried.”

“They don’t mind. I actually wanted to talk with you.”

Bofur still searched for anyone to save him and answered without looking at Fili. “Talk about what, lad? Surely the last place your uncle wants you to be is with me.”

“Please don’t call me lad. I am no child and I’d like for you to just call me Fili.” Fili grinned. “I wouldn’t mind you calling me love or dear heart.” He hinted, causing Bofur to choke a bit.

“I don’ think I could do that. I’ll call ya Fili from now on, but I don’t think your uncle would appreciate me calling you love or dear heart. What did you want to talk about?” Bofur quickly changed the subject and prayed someone from the company noticed Fili was now walking near him, and getting closer by the second. He wouldn’t be surprised if Fili’s pony ended up on top of him from the way he was going.

“Nothing in particular. I just want to talk and get to know each other. Have you claimed anyone as your own?”

Straight to the point. Bofur didn’t like where this was going. Maybe he should lie and say he _has_ claimed someone as his own to keep from encouraging the young prince, but that wouldn’t be honest, and Bofur was an honest dwarf!

“I’m afraid I don’ have anyone as my own.” Bofur looked at Fili when he said this, and when Fili gave him one of the most amazing and beautiful smiles he had ever seen it made his knees go weak. Bofur had to fight from mimicking the smile. He was _not_ going to encourage it, and he will _never_ admit to getting weak on the knees!

“Then may I have the honor of having that claim?” Fili’s face was near him, and knowing what happened the last time Bofur knew what was coming next. Fili was about to kiss him. Kiss him wide in the open where the entire company could see.

Fili was about to make contact, but at the last second Bofur pulled back. No, he said he wasn’t going to encourage it and he won’t! No matter how much his mind apparently wanted it.

“Fili, I’m sorry, but this isn’t you. It’s the potion talking. You _don’t_ want to claim me as your own. You don’t _want_ _me_.”

Fili deflated a little, but still stayed in place inches away from Bofur’s face. He was about to say something, but just like before the booming voice that screamed _authority_ interrupted them and caused him to look towards the front.

“Fili! Step away from Bofur immediately.” Thorin barged through the company on his pony, causing them all to halt. Kili and Dwalin followed closely behind.

“How in the world did Fili get there without any of us noticing? I thought he was riding with you, Thorin.” Balin commented when he spotted the prince next to Bofur, and looked a little too comfortable.

“He snuck away when we went ahead to scout the area. Bolted the moment he could and hid away in the vegetation.” Dwalin explained.

“And he is coming back to the front with us.” Thorin ordered.

“But, uncle.” Fili whined.

“Do as I say.” His uncle snapped. “Dwalin, grab hold of his reigns. Make sure he doesn’t escape again.”

Dwalin made his way to grab hold and steer Fili back with them, and just as they were about to turn Fili took advantage of Bofur’s brief distraction. The older dwarf was too busy looking at Thorin and shrinking from his stare. He never noticed Fili closing the gap between them and pecked him on the corner of his mouth, causing Bofur to jump and stare at him in shock. When he realized what happened his face lit up like a red sky in the early mornings. He ducked his head down in an attempt to hide.

“Fili!” Thorin shouted in bewilderment. Even after ordering his nephew to stay away from the older dwarf and practically growling for them to separate, the prince still had the nerve to behave in such a way in front of him. How strong was this damn love potion?!

Bofur dared to glance at the family and their loyal warrior and found Fili looking smug, Dwalin grunting and whispering “It’s too early for this,” Thorin looking outrageous at the golden-haired prince, and Kili (To his surprise) looking amused.

Thorin growled “Come.” And turn to lead them back to the front. Dwalin followed loyally and towed Fili with him. Fili, before disappearing through the bodies of the company, waved goodbye to Bofur and said “I’ll talk to you later.”

Kili stayed behind to speak with Bofur, his smile still evident in his face and slowly turning into a grin. “Mind if I ride with you for a bit?”

Bofur groaned. “Tell me you didn’t get splashed with that vile potion too!”

“No need to worry, you’re safe from me. My brother isn’t so fortunate, though.” Both prince and miner walked side by side after the company when it was evident they started moving again. “Tell me, do you plan on getting something out of this?” Kili suddenly asked.

Bofur looked offended from the prince daring to even _ask_ such a thing! Do the lot believe that he did this on purpose? That he was going to use it as an advantage and have his way with Fili? (Even though it’s _Bofur_ who Fili will have his way with.) “I don’ _want_ anything out of this! I just want him back to normal with the both of you causing mischief and far away from showing any interest in me!”

Kili chuckled at that. “Aye, we would cause mischief and stay from showing any interest in the company, no offense to you. Compared to the other dwarfs who aren’t family you are fairly attractive, but you’re not my type.”

“I- what?” Bofur didn’t know how to respond. “Thank you?”

“That’s not the case here.” Kili looked seriously at him. “As long as my brother is under that spell he will come after you no matter where you hide. We can already see that no matter how hard my uncle or Dwalin try, Fili will find a way to get back to you, which is why I’m speaking with you. He will always go to you. No matter the time, no matter the place. And while I find the entire situation entertaining I will only let it go for so long.”

The prince inched closer so only Bofur could hear the rest. “Do not allow Fili to go more than a kiss. No matter how tempting. Understand? I don’t want my brother hurt when this situation is over. A kiss is harmless, but any further-” Kili didn’t need to clarify. Bofur knew exactly what he meant.

“I understand. You won’ have to worry.” Bofur meant it. He wanted to believe he will hold true to his promise, but for some reason the words felt empty to his own ears.

Even if they felt empty Kili accepted them with a nod, and before anything else could be said another voice rang from the front.

“Bofur! Kili!” Fili was making his way towards them and had a broad and bright smile on his face. Clearly Thorin and Dwalin failed to keep Fili in place.

“Told you.” Kili whispered to Bofur who groaned and hid his face with his hand.

This was going to be a long day. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so excited~! Barely a day and already this has attention. I'm so happy, thank you!


	3. The Beauty of Lies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bofur is falling, and fast.

Many attempts in trying to keep Fili away from Bofur later, Thorin and Dwalin finally managed to find a method to keep the prince in place by both tying his pony to Dwalin’s, and forming a barrier behind him to keep an eye and prevent escape. Still, even with these complications Fili still found ways to at least catch Bofur’s eye, give a smile and wave.

Thorin couldn’t exactly get mad by these little actions because they weren’t really causing harm, he still didn’t like it though. His nephew was behaving like a lovesick dwarfling. He was by far out of age to still act as one.

“Fili, behave and keep your eye on the road.” He scolded.

“But, uncle I don’t understand why I can’t ride along with Bofur.” Fili complained.

_Because you’re not yourself you’re under the influence of a potion_ Thorin wanted to say but he knew the saying wasn’t going to be heard. The potion was preventing Fili from seeing reason and whatever Thorin said would just enter through one ear and come out the other.

For the rest of the day, Thorin and Dwalin continued to struggle in keeping Fili in place. Kili joined them after speaking with Bofur and found amusement each time his brother attempted freedom. Because honestly, the entire thing was hilarious.

Fili had his mind set on a goal and won’t let anything stand in his way. He and Kili were taught by Dwalin after all, and the first thing they learned was to never give up. Keep working for their goal, and that’s exactly what Fili was doing.

Bofur continued to ride in the back of the company. He feared facing Thorin again, twice in one day was enough in his book, and feared getting trapped by the company. The entire thing must have been awkward for them, seeing as none of them were directly involved, and left them without the slightest idea of how to behave or act. That is, except for Bombur who was still working on his plan in teasing Bofur until his early grave.

“Do we expect marriage soon?” Bombur teased with Bifur riding alongside him.

The cousin made a complicated hand motion and spoke in Khuzdul. _“Will you need our blessing?”_ Clearly Bifur was on Bombur’s side.

“That’s it. I will stand right here and refuse to take one more step with you both.” Bofur halted his pony and crossed his arm to make his point, earning a chuckle from his brother and cousin. 

“You wouldn’t dare abandon your family!” Bombur cried in fake scandal and betrayal, if his very evident smile was anything to go by.

Bofur scuffed. “You both? Family? Not you traitorous lot!”

Bifur spoke again. _“Stand there if you wish. We’re setting up camp either way.”_

To Bofur’s surprise they _were_ setting up camp. Night was descending on them and he didn’t even realize it. Apparently getting teased, glared and ambushed made the day go by fast.

“Aye,” Bombur continued where their cousin left of. “You’re more than welcome to stand there while the rest of us have dinner and get rest.” They both left Bofur on his own and joined the rest of the company. Tying their ponies and preparing to gather food for supper.

Bofur sighed pitifully and followed after them, making sure to avoid any dwarf, hobbit or wizard when he tied his pony with the rest; especially a lovesick dwarf that he was sure was making him grey in all corners. Sadly things never go according to plan.

Not even reaching the fire started by Gloin, Bofur got ambushed… again, by none other than the golden prince.

“Bofur, would you like to have dinner together?” Fili smiled warmly at him, standing a bit too close for Bofur’s comfort.

The miner could feel eyes burning behind his skull; no doubt he was being watched by others in the company, especially _Thorin_. By now he could recognize that glare anywhere.

“Thank you for the kind invitation, but I’m afraid I will have to decline.” Bofur gave the prince a wobbly smile, clearly his feelings didn’t match his words. 

Fili’s smile faltered, and the face he made almost made Bofur take back his words, but he couldn’t allow it to happen. Quickly, he bowed his head and refused to look at the prince again. “If you’ll excuse me.”

He bolted away as if his trousers were on fire and disappeared behind trees and bushes. He was making an attempt to discourage Fili from pursuing him further, really he was! Just like what Thorin said to do. If he witnessed him rejecting his nephew maybe he’ll realize that Bofur was not at fault, but doing so was causing Fili pain. Even if it was _fake_ , pain was still _pain_.

Finding a tree that looked comfortable enough he leaned his back against it and breathed out. He was hurting the lad (No, _Fili_ , he said he was going to end calling him lad.) and the last thing he wanted was to hurt anyone. He never thought himself as a heartbreaker, but that’s exactly what he was doing. Even if the love was a lie.

“Fat load of luck _I_ have.” He hissed to himself.

“Pardon, may I interrupt?”

Bofur quickly whipped his head to the new voice in alarm, but sighed when it was just Bilbo. “By all means. I’m just here, talkin to meself.”

“I noticed.” Bilbo smiled and offered him a bowl he was carrying. “Here, Bombur sent me to give this to you.”

Bofur snorted. “That poor bugger got you doing his work? Lazy sod.” Still, he accepted the bowl gratefully, not realizing how hungry he was.

“Mind if I join you?”

Bofur gestured for him to take a seat. “You’re more than welcome to. Just promise me you didn’t take any potions before coming.” He joked, but quickly regretted it.

Bilbo offered him sympathy when he took the seat. “Bet it has been a tiresome day.”

“I’m about ready to pass out. Having a king on my back and a brother poking me every chance he’s got tends to wear you out.”

Bilbo smiled but didn’t say anything. They continued to eat in silence, never disturbed by others for a good amount of time, until Bilbo decided to state the obvious. “It’s not your fault that Fili is behaving like this.”

Bofur grunted. “Kind of am. I’m his temporary obsession.”

“Well, yes, you’re the reason why he is _behaving_ , but you didn’t do it on purpose.”

“Mind telling that to the others? They don’ seem to believe it.”

“The others know, Thorin knows, but the situation is just so odd that he doesn’t know how to properly act, and the easiest thing to do is put the blame on someone. Since you’re the one Fili is after he finds it easier to blame you.” Bilbo explained with so much certainty that Bofur felt a weight lift off his shoulders, temporarily that was.

“I don’t know what to do.” Bofur looked down to his boots. “I want to show Thorin that I’m not encouraging the lad’s advances, but each time I reject him he gets hurt. I don’ want to hurt him.”

“So you’ll rather agree to his advances to make him happy until the spell is lifted?” Bilbo asked with a hint of disapproval.

“It’s not like he’ll remember anyway. Gandalf said he’ll forget as soon as it’s ended.”

“True he won’t remember, and the company will probably agree to never speak of it again, but what about you?”

Bofur turned to him in question. “What about me?”

“Don’t act unaware. I’ve been watching you. While I don’t understand what you’re going through I know for a fact that if this was happening to me I’d be a wreck of nerves. This kind of thing doesn’t just occur and leave no marks behind.”

“Bilbo, I’m fine. This isn’t affecting me in any way.”

“Don’t lie to me.” Bilbo said sternly. For some reason he felt he was scolding a hobbit child into telling the truth, and Bofur felt exactly like that child.

Bofur looked back to his boots. “I don’t… I don’t understand. I should feel trap. I should feel… I don’t know _how_ I should feel.”

Bilbo got close so only the dwarf could hear. “Are you against the attention?”

Bofur didn’t answer for what felt like the longest time. He wasn’t against the attention, far from it now that he was thinking about it. He _enjoyed_ the kiss, as he figured before, and wanted more. He didn’t mind the attention, but he _couldn’t_ encourage it. He just couldn’t. It wasn’t fair for Fili.

Finally, he shook his head in a no because he couldn’t find the proper words to answer, and Bilbo sighed and looked to him with concern. “I feel this will be more than a simple spell gone wrong.”

“I admit,” Bofur whispered. “I’m frightened for the future. I won’t be able to look at Fili the same way again.”

Bilbo placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, but it didn’t do anything for him. “If you need to talk, about _anything_ , I’ll be there for you.”

Bofur couldn’t let the conversation end so blue, especially when a friend was trying to comfort _him_. He was Bofur, the cracker of jokes in any situation and the joyous dwarf who doesn’t let anything bring him down. It just wasn’t Bofur’s style, so he ended in true fashion. “Thank you, Bilbo, that means a lot, but do you think you could distract Thorin when he looks ready to chop my head off next time? I’m sure out of everyone in the company you’re the one who’ll be able to get his attention.” He grinned playfully at him.

Even though there was hardly light Bofur was still able to spot a faint blush on the hobbit’s cheeks. “Bofur!” He cried in embarrassment.

“Aye, you’re not the only one observing others. I’ve seen the way you look at the dwarf king.” He continued to tease and earned a soft punch on his arm.

“You dwarfs are unbelievable!”

“How can we be unbelievable when we’re standing right in front of you!” He shouted after Bilbo when the hobbit marched back to camp, huffing with every step.

The chance for his own playful teasing was refreshing, but when the thought of Fili returned the smile wiped off his face in an instant. He sighed again, slid down against the tree and sat on the ground. He placed his now empty bowl next to him. Empty, just like how he was feeling.

Alone and silent, it gave the miner a chance to think of everything that has occurred. He didn’t understand why, in just _one_ day, he was feeling what he was feeling. Not once did he see the golden prince as anything but a comrade, and maybe even a friend. Now, after becoming the prince’s main obsession, he was looking at the dwarf in a whole different light. He didn’t like it. He couldn’t consider Fili as anything but a comrade. He was a lonely miner and toy maker. Fili was a prince and future king. Fili would have never considered him if it wasn’t for that blasted potion! It was giving Bofur false hope.

It just wasn’t fair.

“Bofur?”

Bofur was too tired and got sneaked on from behind plenty of times for a day. He didn’t even look up at the new body, seeing as he already knew who it was. He was starting to get used to it now, which was bad. “Fili.” He answered back.

“Do you mind if I-”

“No, you’re free to sit down if you want, but I don’t think your uncle would like that.”

“Whether my uncle likes it or not, it’s not his choice to make.” Fili took a seat next to Bofur, and to both his relief and disappointment the prince stayed a distance away.

They stayed in silence for a while. Bofur started picking at the grass nervously, waiting for Thorin or Dwalin to show up and drag Fili back and leave Bofur wanting to bury himself.

“I wanted to apologize,” Fili finally said. “About my behavior earlier.”

Bofur stiffened momentarily. Did the spell finally wear off? Was Fili finally over his obsession? If so, why was he apologizing? The prince was supposed to forget he ever acted upon the false feelings. Bofur tried his best to ignore the tightening around his heart and gut. The meal must have hit him the wrong way.

“There’s nothing to forgive, lad. It was not your fault-”

“I thought we agreed not to call me lad.” Fili ground, much to Bofur’s surprise. “And it was my fault. I acted upon my own desires that I neglected to consider yours. It’s just… you’re all I thought about today. I couldn’t keep you out of my mind, no matter how much Thorin wanted me to. When I finally have you within my sights all I want to do is hold you and never let go.”

Bofur stared at a particular spot on his boot intently. Fili was still under the spell, and he fought desperately from sighing with relief. It was _not_ a _good_ thing.

“I care about you. _Deeply_.” Fili continued. “I was blinded from your emotions. Each time I see you I just become so happy that I wish to show you just how I feel. Please forgive me. From now on I’ll consider you more properly.”

_Please don’t do this, Fili._

“Don’t hate me, Bofur.”

Bofur picked at his fingers tensely. _Don’t make me fall for lies. This isn’t real._

“Is it too much to ask for another chance? A _proper_ chance?”

Bofur didn’t know how to answer. His fingers were cold. His body was cold. He didn’t dare face Fili for he feared what he was going to see, but Fili acted for him. The prince grabbed his chin and lifted his face without struggle.

Finally he managed to make a sentence, “This isn’t real. You don’t feel like this for-” but it was cut off by Fili’s kiss. The kiss was soft, gentle, compared to the very first. Fili was hesitant this time. He was considering Bofur’s feelings.

The miner could pull back anytime, end the kiss and prevent it from escalating. He could end Fili pursuing him. The dwarf prince seemed to be gaining sense again, and if Bofur really wanted to he could end everything.

He couldn’t find it in his heart to.

The kiss continued gently, never once becoming that fierce, intense kiss from before. Fili didn’t push against him and didn’t force him.

This was really, horribly _bad_. 


	4. The Fire of Acceptance.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trolls, fire and Thorin, oh my!

Bofur was trending through dangerous waters, he knew this. Yet, he found he couldn’t do anything to stop it.

And he wasn’t the only one who thought so.

Kili had warned him to not let anything escalate further than a kiss. Somehow the young dwarf understood that the situation was unavoidable. No matter what Bofur did, or Thorin and Dwalin for that matter, nothing was going to stop Fili from getting what he wanted.

Bilbo had also warned him from the inevitable outcome. He _knew_ that this was going to continue and in the end _Bofur_ was the one who was going to be affected by it. No matter how it finished.

Bofur no longer saw Fili as a friend. He saw him as a prince. A victim. A _lie_.

And the company seemed to realize this.

During one night they were attacked by trolls, massive, hideous and horrid smelling trolls. Actually, _Bilbo_ was attacked by trolls. The company didn’t even realize what was happening until both Fili and Kili ran to them shouting nonsense involving the trolls.

Fili wasn’t pinning after Bofur when this happened. True to his word he was being considerate to Bofur’s feelings and kept a mild distance away to give him space. And to satisfy his uncle the prince also restraint from openly showing interest in front of the company. Especially in front of Thorin. He had remained focused on their journey. Working even harder to show he was serious and in control for both the quest _and_ Bofur.

When both brothers appeared through the bushes with fright on their faces and screaming for their lives, Bofur nearly lost his footing at the thought that Fili was hurt or being chased by a horrid creature.

When they revealed that Bilbo was in danger of getting killed by trolls the company wasted no time and charged with battle cries for war.

However, it ended with half of the company tied and roasting on top of a fire, Bofur included on the list, and the other half tied in sacks and waiting on the sidelines for their turn.

And with Gandalf missing there appeared to be no hope.

“Hot! Hot!” Bofur cried when he passed over the fire again.

The trolls were talking amongst themselves but all Bofur could focus on was the fire literally scorching him.

The dwarfs tied in sacks watched as their comrades were being burned alive. One particular dwarf made himself known to be the most concerned and looked on in complete horror.

“Bofur! Bofur! Let him go you putrid slugs!” Fili gritted his teeth, desperately trying to crawl closer to him.

“Oh?” One of the trolls taunted. “You hear that? He called us slugs!”

“Aww, does the little dwarf not want his friend to burn?” Another troll taunted.

“Friend? Bah, sounds more like _mate_! Does the dwarf not want to see his wife burn?” The third troll mocked.

Fili ignored them and continued his desperate attempt at reaching Bofur.

Bofur, without thinking, retaliated. “Oi! I am no lass!”  As soon as he realized what he just said he blushed intensely, and he thanked Mahal that a fire was inches away from him. This way he could put the blame for his heated face on the intense flames.

Nori, who Bofur was tied in-between his legs to, nudged the miner with his boot. “I don’t think now is the proper time to decide who’s the taker and who’s the giver in your relationship.” Even roasting on top of a fire the dwarf still managed the time to crack jokes.

“Nori!” Dori hissed. “There are youngsters here!” He cried protectively.

“He’ll learn sooner or later.” The thief innocently replied, and now Bofur thought it was the perfect time to jump in the fire willingly.

His comeback pointed him out to the trolls and all three laughed when they saw him. One troll poked him. “Not a lass, ey? You look female enough.” The troll got close and sniffed him, much to Bofur’s discomfort. “You even smell like one too.” The creature mocked.

This caused Bofur to stiffen, both in insult and shock. Fili cried out in outrage. “Don’t touch him you filth!”

“Do you think we should kill the young couple together?” Another troll teased.

The same troll who poked Bofur grunted. “Whatever we’re going to do we better get a move on. I don’t fancy being turned to stone.”

This was enough information for Bilbo to think of stalling the trolls enough for Gandalf to appear, break the giant boulder and release the sun on the trolls. The company watched as all three trolls turned into stone before cheering in happiness.

The half of the company tied in sacks were the first to be released, and the moment Fili was loose he ran to Bofur.

“Bofur!” The miner was tilted in an angle just above the fire but not exactly on top. The angle gave Fili just enough height to be able to reach him and he wrapped the miner’s face with his hands. “I’m so glad you’re alright. Do you have any burns? Anything hurt?”

“Oh, you know, don’t worry about us. We were just tied along with Bofur. Nothing wrong at all.” Nori sarcastically informed, moving his toes to show they were still there and tied up but Fili ignored him.

Bofur cleared his throat awkwardly, painfully aware that Thorin was staring at them. “’m fine, Fili.” He didn’t meet the prince’s eye. “Mind getting us down?”

Fili swiftly let go and retrieved his sword. “Of course! Hold still.” Quick as a flash he went and came back with weapon in hand. Without thinking it through he cut the ropes tying only Bofur and nearly caused the other dwarfs to fall straight down to the fire. Somehow they still stayed in place and were spared to live another day. Bofur on the other hand fell off without the ropes and was caught before falling face first on the ground by the prince himself.

Fili held him from his upper body and kept him from reaching the ground. Bofur’s legs dangled in the air, the prince refused to put him down and didn’t even realize he was doing it.

“Fili, you can put me down now.” Bofur said nervously. This seemed to snap Fili back and he instantly placed the miner down.

“Sorry.” Fili stepped back. His hands kept twitching and he didn’t know what to do with them so he placed them stiffly to his sides.

They stood a good, awkward time without saying a word until Nori broke the spell by complaining about their still current situation. “Anyone is welcomed to get us down now.”

Working together all the dwarves, and hobbit, managed to set themselves loose from their binds and retrieve their clothing and weapons. A short conversation involving the trolls from Thorin and Gandalf later, the company found the troll cave where they made a long-term deposit and Bilbo acquired a letter opener. Actually it was a fair sized sword, but compared to Thorin’s and Gandalf’s it looked more like a letter opener than anything.

Before they were to set off again Thorin cornered Bofur away from prying eyes and his new self-appointed body guard known as Fili. “Bofur, I wish to speak with you.”

Bofur bowed his head. “About what?” He didn’t know why he bothered to ask when it was clear what the king was going to say.

“About Fili.” Thorin stated the obvious. “I wanted to apologize.”

Now that took Bofur by surprise. “What?”

“I realized it was wrong of me to put blame on you when you have no control over his situation.” Thorin said sincerely.

Bofur smiled a bit. “Well I am the one who he’s following after.” He tried to joke but before he realized his mistake, because one should never joke with royalty, it was already too late and he feared Thorin’s reaction.

To his surprise the king wasn’t affected. He even smiled a bit! “That may be so, but it wasn’t as if you did it on purpose. Right?” He asked suspiciously.

“Yes! I mean, n-no… I didn’t do it on purpose.” Bofur said frantically.

“Bofur.” Thorin called to quiet him. “I don’t bite unless I have a reason to. You have nothing to fear, unless you’ve done something wrong.” He raised an eyebrow.

Bofur shook his head. “Haven’t done anything wrong, unless bad jokes counts otherwise I’d be the most wanted dwarf around.” He chuckled, suddenly feeling prideful when the king laughed too. That’s a first! “Forgive me. I am grateful for the apology, but can I ask what brought it forward?” Bofur wondered.

“Let’s just say reason was put in my head, and after witnessing what happened today I finally understood.” Bofur questioned what he understood. “I had hoped this love potion would wear off after a few days, and when I saw Fili working hard I thought maybe the spell was weakening, but as everyone can see it’s still here and going strong. I planned to keep you two separated until it ended, but keeping an eye on that dwarf is troublesome and it’s slowing us down.”

Bofur knew where Thorin was going with this. “Surely you don’t mean.” 

“When Fili has his eye set on something he won’t stop until he gets it, and even under a spell this holds true. It’s plain to see that nothing will stand in his way and I’d be a fool to try and stop him. He might retort to chopping off fingers, and I’m quiet fond of mine.” Thorin walked closer so he was inches away from Bofur. “There is nothing I can do, and while I don’t enjoy watching my nephew fawn over you like a love-sick child, all I can say is _don’t_ let it escalate further.”

Bofur was having a strange case of dejavu. Didn’t he already have this conversation?

That’s right, he did. With Kili. Bofur could see a deeper resemblance now.

“Do you understand, Bofur? Don’t let Fili go further from hand-holding, hugs and kisses. While I would appreciate no kisses at all it would be pointless to say so, seeing as it already happened.”

Bofur nodded. “I understand. I will do my best to hold him back.” Again, just like before, the words seemed empty, but unlike Kili who accepted them just like that, Thorin looked unconvinced. Whether because he didn’t trust Bofur in _keeping_ Fili in place, or because he didn’t trust Fili in _staying_ in place, he didn’t know. Still, he had no choice but to accept it.

With a nod Thorin turned and headed back with the company. He barked orders and before they knew it they were setting off and making distance.  

For the duration of the ride until nightfall, Bofur was lost in thought. Kili had talked to him. Bilbo had talked to him. Even _Thorin_ had talked to him. If the last one realized his mistake and knew there was nothing he could do than there really was no hope for Bofur.

That blasted potion had Fili exactly where it wanted it and now, as an added bonus, it had Bofur, and Bofur wasn’t even splashed! Or at least he thought he wasn’t. If he had than it would all make sense exactly why he was getting affected, or maybe he _did_ harbor feelings for the prince and he didn’t realized until now.

Bah! A bunch of nonsense!

If Bofur had harbored feelings he would have known it. Then again, hardly any dwarf caught his attention long enough for him to harbor feelings in the first place, so he really didn’t know what he was feeling.

There was just never enough time for it. Taking care of Bifur after his accident that left him with an axe permanently imbedded in his head, andmaking enough gold to have a roof over their heads ate through his time. Sure he had seconds to spare for a quick trip to the tavern, but having a relationship was simply out of the question. He had enough to worry about with his cousin; he didn’t need courting added to the mix.

When he signed up for this journey all he expected was the free beer promised and a share of the gold when the dragon was slain. Had he known a relationship would build up around the corner he might have thought through it more. The quest promised beer and gold. Two things he wanted and needed. The love he could do without. He didn’t know if he should consider it a bonus or a drawback. Seeing as it had a king breathing down his neck.

“What is in your mind that has you so deep in thought?”

The sneaking up behind him was really getting old now. Bofur found reacting was too much effort so he lazily turned his head to face the golden prince, because honestly, who else could it be? “Just thinking about things.”

Fili smiled. “About what?”

“This and that. Things that never happened and somehow are happening.”

“Sounds entertaining.”

“Oh it is.” _Especially since you’re the cause for it._ Bofur thought.

“Bofur, may I ask something of you?” Fili looked nervously at his hands suddenly.

“Aye?”

“When we camp for the night, do you mind if I set my bedroll near you?” The prince asked in such a quiet voice that Bofur almost didn’t hear him.

He felt his face heat a little. “I don’t mind, but make sure to keep your hands to yourself.” He joked a bit and tried his hardest not to mimic the goofy, wide smile that appeared on Fili’s face.

“I can’t promise, but I will try my best.” Even though the tone was meant to sound comical they both knew he meant more behind it. 


	5. One so Bold at Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bofur gets elected the blushing bride, he's also the little spoon.

Night arrived sooner than Bofur had anticipated and he found himself growing anxious.

Something must have snapped in Fili’s head because throughout the entire day he wouldn’t leave Bofur’s side. He traveled with him, refusing to distance himself more than an inch. When they ate dinner Fili practically glued himself to Bofur’s hip as they ate, and much to the miner’s dismay the company found the entire thing amusing.

Bofur was thankful that at least _some_ of them were decent enough to try and _hide_ their amusement. The others, not so much.

Kili wasn’t even attempting to hide his grin as he watched his brother shadow the miner, and each time he offered to fetch or do something that caused the elder dwarf to blush and sputter he laughed loud and clear for everyone to hear.

Bombur was as bad as Kili. The only difference was he made comments while Fili acted. The lines “I bet you’d like for him to do something _more_ for ya, ey brother?” and “Go fetch his _sword_.” Were the most repeated when Fili walked away. He would always return to an extremely red faced dwarf.

Bifur was a bit more considerate of his words, but he still joined Bombur’s side and did inappropriate hand motions alongside his brother’s sayings.

Both Bilbo and Ori were somewhat discreet, but their stares were just too obvious for Bofur to ignore. Bilbo stared with both mirth that later changed to concern, while Ori stared with warmth. Even under a spell the youngest dwarf found the scene to be romantic, and Bofur really hoped he wasn’t writing it down.

The elder dwarves tried their best to ignore them, but they found giving quick glances was just too hard to pass up. Thorin especially since it was his nephew involved, but on one rare occasion Bofur actually manage to catch a smile on the king when Fili ended up commenting something sweet to him, but it was quickly wiped away. Bofur noticed the king ignoring them in favor of staring at Bilbo, who in turn occasionally stared back. He might have been tempted to play matchmaker, if he didn’t have his own problems.

Eventually the sounds died down and both Dwalin and Gloin were picked to take the first watch. Bofur rolled out his bedroll nervously, and not far behind him Fili followed and rolled his own right next to him. If any of the company were stunned by this development they did well to keep their mouths shut. As Bofur prepped himself on the bedroll he somehow managed to catch Kili’s eye on the camp. There was no smile, no amusement in his eyes. He stared back with all the sternness the situation called for. He reminded Bofur of the promise he made to not take anything further than a simple kiss, which the miner found silly because they were surrounded by eyes everywhere, one of those pair of eyes belonging to the king and uncle of all dwarfs. Bofur wasn’t much for putting on a show and he rather liked his head on, thank you.

Finally, after getting himself as comfortable as the ground would allow him, Bofur closed his eyes and tried to get some rest. He lay facing the opposite side of Fili, refusing to see the young dwarf as he slept. Bofur was brave enough to admit that the prince was a very attractive dwarf, and he feared to see just how gorgeous he would turn out without the stress of the day on his face. He would fall in deeper waters if he did.

Bofur took a long, deep breath. He had a feeling it was going to be one of those nights where no matter how hard he tried he would not get a wink of sleep. And he was right. The first watch ended and he heard both Dwalin and Gloin shake whoever was to take the second, and Bofur was still wide awake. He stared at nothing in particular as previous days replayed in his mind, keeping him up and refusing him to forget.

Bofur was so focused that he never noticed another body scoot closer behind him, and before he knew it he had an arm snake around his waist, pulling him close in a hug. He had to stop himself from giggling when Fili’s whiskers tickled the back of his neck as he rested his chin on his shoulder. Fili cuddled him close and pressed his cheek against Bofur’s, giving him a quick peck before whispering “Sleep.”

Even though he knew he wouldn’t fall asleep just because he was told to he found the gesture to be comforting and warm. He could feel the arm around him lift and fall with his breath. A thought passed through his mind and he hesitated for a moment. He knew he shouldn’t be encouraging in, but he found himself unable to resist. It was a small weakness, and he really wanted it.

Slowly, and a bit hesitantly, he moved his arm and placed his hand over on Fili’s, keeping it there before finally gripping it. He waited for one of the other company to catch him doing so, waited for Thorin to suddenly get up and chop off his hand, but it never came. After long seconds he felt Fili’s arm tighten and pull him even closer, somehow making their bodies complement each other.

While it might have taken him ages to fall asleep on that night, Bofur will admit that it was one of the most pleasant nights he’s ever had over the years.

The same couldn’t be said for the upcoming morning.

Bofur had overslept, for obvious reasons, but Fili –who had plenty of sleep that night- refused to let him go and stayed with him to the point where the _entire_ company was up with breakfast already in their bellies. It wasn’t until the sounds of throats clearing were heard that Bofur started to stir. He opened his eyes to the view of 6 boots resting on top of grass. When he followed them to their owners, which he regretted afterwards, it took him seconds to realize _who_ they were and the exact position they found him lying on.

Bofur switched his gaze to Thorin, Kili and Dwalin, who had the same facial expression of seriousness with a raised eyebrow all the way to their hairline, to his hand that was still over Fili’s to Fili himself who still had his chin on his shoulder. His eyes were closed but Bofur could tell the prince was wide awake.

“Good morning, uncle, brother, Dwalin.” Fili said innocently without bothering to look at them.

Bofur, however, did look at them and found his mind couldn’t form words, let alone an explanation as to why he was resting like this with a prince pressed all over his back. Instead he cleared his throat and reached for his hat, pulling it down in an attempt to hide his reddening face.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, one of them spoke. “Come on. Both of you are long overdue for the morning and we need to leave soon. Bombur has saved you breakfast. Eat it quick and let’s get going.” Thorin ordered, and with the sound of 3 sets of retreating footsteps on vegetation they were gone.

Bofur dared to peak through his hat and sighed with relief when he saw the boots missing. “Fili?” He called.

“Yes, Bofur?” The prince replied, relaxed and content from his spot on Bofur’s shoulder.

“I kind of need you to let go so we can get up.”

“Don’t want to.”

“I’m afraid it’s not a matter of wanting to or not. Thorin ordered it.” Bofur squeezed his hand.

With an exhale Fili did what he was told and released his hold on Bofur, but not before tightening him in a brief hug. Packing their bedrolls quickly they headed for Bombur, who had two bowls ready for them and a not-so-discreet grin on his quite obvious face.

He raised an eyebrow to Bofur who quickly retaliated. “Don’t you _dare_ say anything.”

Bombur shrugged. “Weren’t going to say anythin.” It was a lie, they both knew it, but Bombur decided Bofur had been embarrassed enough for one morning and gave him pity by walking away without a word.

Bofur and Fili ate as quick as they could and saddled their ponies when finished. They started the day’s journey by following Gandalf’s lead, who was apparently heading somewhere Thorin didn’t quite like, but before he even realized, it was too late.

Rivendell.

Gandalf ended up taking them to Rivendell, and Thorin was _not_ happy. He didn’t hesitate to voice his unhappiness, and when Lord Elrond returned with a small army that circled around the company Bofur couldn’t blame him for voicing his dislike.

That was until the elf lord offered them food, which they gladly accepted. The food wasn’t the best though, considering it only had green foods, but once Nori got around to sneaking and thieving in the kitchens he came back with a more decent fare.

Bofur and Bifur huddled near a make-shift camp fire. The miner held a sausage over the flames while his cousin held a large chunk of greens. With the sausage cooked and done Bofur brought it back to eat, but when he noticed his brother sitting on a very unstable bench that was creaking under all his weight he just couldn’t resist.

“Bombur.” He called and threw the sausage. His brother caught it just in a nick of time and much to his satisfaction the bench collapsed right then and there. Bofur rolled on the floor in a fit of giggles as Bifur watched in confusion. The miner looked around for Fili to see if he witnessed the entertainment but to his surprise Fili wasn’t anywhere in sight. He searched for Kili and found him somewhere in the back still laughing, but the prince was alone.

He searched around and found everyone _except_ Thorin, Balin, Bilbo, Gandalf, _and_ Fili. He knew the first four were somewhere conversing with Elrond, but as for Fili? Where could that dwarf had possibly gone?

“ _Looking for your future husband?”_ Bifur asked, making Bofur scowl at him briefly.

“And what if I am?” He played along, because really, there was no point in trying to fight back. Nothing was going to change their minds.

“Has he finally admitted it?” Nori asked from his spot near the balcony. Apparently he had heard his comeback, and when Bofur looked around he noticed it wasn’t only him, _everyone_ had heard him.

“I was joking!” He quickly tried to explain.

“Too late, brother. When are we expecting the marriage?” Bombur teased.

“Bombur!”

“What about the decor? Need any help with that?” Dori surprised everyone by giving his own jesting.

“ _I will help with the decoration and make gifts_.” Bifur added.

“Oh, I can record the event! If you like.” Ori said timidly.

“I’ll be in charge of the dinner.” Bombur appointed himself.

“You don’t want me helping out. I’ll just nick things from under your sight.” Nori explained.

“You’ll need someone to keep an eye on him. I could keep watch.” Dwalin included himself, making everyone around pause briefly before suddenly bursting into laughter, including him.

Bofur, with embarrassment, covered his red face with his hands, but this didn’t stop them.

“Look he’s turning red!” Gloin unhelpfully pointed out.

“Does that make him the blushing bride?” Kili asked with amusement.

“Are you feeling alright? You look a bit red. You don’t have a fever do you?” Oin apparently hadn’t been using his hearing piece and never heard the teasing everyone was doing on Bofur. It only made everything worse as the laughter intensified.

“You lot want to send me to an early grave!” Bofur accused.

“Come now, brother. I have never heard of anyone dying from embarrassment.” Bombur said.

“I’ll be making history as the first then!”

“Should I write this down?” Ori wondered.

“No!”


	6. The Melody and Waves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> River teasing, and the rating is going up.

In Bofur’s opinion, the company settling down and leaving him any dignity for the rest of the night took too long, but when it finally happened he couldn’t have been more relieved.

Too bad it didn’t last long.

None of the dwarves noticed when Fili returned, his quiet and stealthy appearance made him nearly impossible to spot. He made himself known to his brother first before anyone else, surprising him by nudging his shoulder against him when he sat down.

“And where did you disappear to?” Kili asked as he nudged back.

“Explored a bit.” Fili answered casually. “Got caught by one of the elves.”

Kili looked him over. “You seem in one piece.”

Fili shrugged. “Decided to spare me.” He stared distantly at the scenery, lost in thought and somewhere else.

“You missed the fun earlier. We all planned your marriage already. Have the whole ceremony ready with everyone taking part.”

By his side he felt Fili flinch a little, which made him troubled, so he turned to look at his brother, but his face remained the same.

“Something the matter?”

“Nothing.” Fili answered rather too quickly. “Nothing at all. Perfectly fine.” He hummed and got up, heading towards the dwarf everyone teased earlier.

 He took a spot next to Bofur and repeated the action similar to that of Kili’s when he signaled his arrival. Bofur’s face went from surprise, because he never noticed the prince’s return, to embarrassment, because he wasn’t the only dwarf who saw him appear. Everyone around them made it painfully obvious that they were snickering, and pointedly stared.

“Where did you run off to if I dare ask?” Bofur covered half of his face with his hat.

Fili rested his head on his shoulder, deciding not to answer. Instead his gaze focused on the miner’s hand, twitching his fingers before hesitantly “Do you mind… if I?” He raised his hand to show his question.

At first Bofur didn’t understand, but when Fili hovered his hand over his own he got the request. A bit timidly he turned his hand so his palm would face upward and spread his fingers.  Fili placed his own hand and crossed their fingers together, making the small action mean so much more. He sighed and scooted closer to his obsession, humming a soft lullaby that was only heard by him.

Bofur listened quietly, falling in love with the notes and engraving the melody in his heart. The warm, beautiful sounds circled the air around them, making the room look withered and eroded in comparison. Bofur thought he’d never heard anything like it.

When Fili finished Bofur dared ask. “What tune was that?”

The prince smiled. “It’s something I thought up one night when the moon was high and starlight shined. The mood seemed to call for it. Do you like it?”

“It’s beautiful.” The miner whispered.

Fili cuddled closer. “I thank you.”

If the company had commented on their moment or joked and poked fun at them Bofur didn’t notice. All his attention was on the golden-haired prince who rested his head on his shoulder, had his eyes closed and had one of the warmest and most charming smiles Bofur had ever seen on him. The fire gave his face a lovely, orange glow that made him look even younger than he was. The front of his hair shined in kind gold, while the top exceled in star silver from the moon’s rays.

Bofur thought the picture looked perfect, like a scene from a story that took minutes to describe, and he would have done anything to keep it as so. He willingly wanted to kiss the prince, but before he could even lean forward something stopped him.

“Everyone pack up! We’re moving out.”

The entire company groaned when Thorin marched in with the ferocity of an orc. They had just gotten settled and were ready to rest, but the king wasn’t going to hear any of it, and complaining wasn’t going to get them anywhere.

“Of course he would have us march before we had a wink of sleep. Thorin would rather see us on the forest floor than let us rest on elven build.” Fili grumpily got up and disconnected their entwined fingers. “Better get a move on.”

Bofur sighed and stood up as well. This was going to be a long night.

And it was.

By the time they crossed the path they used to enter Rivendell the sun was already rising on the horizon. All the dwarves, and hobbit, were tired but they marched on without question. If Thorin’s hatred for the elves was really that strong that he would deprive his company of rest then who are they to say anything? They’d probably make the situation worse.

And so they marched on, each step becoming heavier and heavier as the time went on. They were missing a wizard, as Bilbo liked to point out, but still they continued onward. Thorin claimed the wizard will catch up to them, eventually. If he were to join them again at all.

The sun had just passed above them when Thorin decided to give them pity. To make up for the lack of slumber he allowed for the rest of the day to be used for dinner and sleep. They found a spot that was rich in trees and had a river nearby, a river that everyone, even though they were tired, were still very eager to use.

The first to enter the river were both Fili and Kili, who were fully naked long before any other dwarfs were down to their breeches. Some of them took their time and folded their clothes, others, Ori and Bilbo, were a bit bashful and hid behind trees to avoid prying eyes. Once naked they entered the water in their own liking. Most of them entered calmly with a decent step. Unlike Fili and Kili, who both just jumped in the water, they dunked one body part at a time.

Bofur was nearly the last one to enter. The reason behind it?

He might have gotten a glimpse of Fili completely naked, and it might have stirred things he was not keen on showing the entire company.

If he thought Fili was beautiful with his clothes on it was nothing in comparison to his full, naked glory. Of course he might have been exaggerating. The golden prince had the fair built of a warrior. His muscles were well-defined, his chest strong, and his back, oh, his back. Bofur had the temptation of running his fingers against it, feeling the movements, the hairs, and the young, soft skin.

The miner growled. “Keep it together!” This was _not_ the time to be thinking about that. He was tired, the entire company was tired. His mind shouldn’t even have the energy to be having these thoughts.

With his clothes and hat off, and body ready for the cool stream he walked to the side farthest away from the company. He wanted to enjoy the water, relax against the small waves. Odds are if he swam near any of the other dwarves his chances at relaxation would be thrown out the river.

Noticing a boulder half-way immersed in the river Bofur swam to it. He planned on using it as a hold so he could let his feet float free without the worry of accidentally drowning, or anything of the sort. He leaned his back against the stone, cold from the river’s influence, but once it started warming up, thanks to his back, he sighed and relaxed.

His peaceful state suddenly reminded him that he was dead tired from the sleepless night. He closed his eyes temporarily, swearing that he was just resting them. After all, if he ended up falling asleep here there would be major consequences for him. No, he was just resting. Surely if he ended up in the bottom of the river one of the company would notice, right? Come rescue him on time?

“Bofur?”

Bofur had been so content and relaxed that he never noticed another body appear, and right in front of him too!

He opened his eyes and came to the glorious sight of a well-defined torso that had golden hair running down its shoulders. He swallowed before looking up to the face of the owner. Fili smiled down at him, clearly unaware of the affects his flaunting-of-his-body was causing on him. He submerged the bottom of his face down in an attempt to hide.

Fili continued from where he started. “You were so calm against the boulder that I thought you had fallen asleep. Wouldn’t do well if you ended up underwater and nobody was around to save you.” He grinned.

At first Bofur didn’t understand when the prince said ‘nobody around,’ but when he looked back to where the company was seconds ago he found almost all the dwarves gone! Only two remained, other than themselves, and both Gloin and Oin were dressing up and ready to depart. Which left Bofur and Fili still in the river, still fully naked, and _now_ very much alone.

Bofur swallowed. “Yes, well I am relaxed, very much clean and ready to head out.” Heading out was easier said than done. The boulder he laid against was curved in a way that had him enclosed from the back, and the only way out was currently being blocked by none other than the golden prince. And in their current states, Bofur didn’t dare make physical contact.

Fili, for some reason or another, moved his hand to rub against his chest. This caused his shoulders and biceps to flex. The sun shined against the movement as Fili remained completely oblivious to what his actions was triggering. His eyes remained locked on the spot he was rubbing against, never noticing the slight intake of air from Bofur and his ever heating face.

When he was satisfied he looked back at the older dwarf, finding him attempting to hide his flushed face by submerging even further down the river. Fili grinned wickedly at the realization. It didn’t take a genius to figure out exactly what was happening to Bofur, and he felt rather proud knowing it was _him_ who was causing it.

“Bofur? You look a little flush, is something the matter?” Fili played ignorant, inching closer with eyes full of harmless mischief.

Bofur sputtered a bit from the prince getting closer. He had a little problem right now below his waist, and the last thing he needed was having someone close, especially if that someone was the reason behind it. “You know, I’m perfectly fine. Me getting flushed has become so common now that it’s practically normal. Don’t you worry about me.” He backed away a bit, or as much as the boulder would let him. He was pressed against the stone and there was no other way to run.

Fili wasn’t stopping. He submerged down to Bofur’s eyelevel and continued his hunt. He reached out a hand to the miner’s face and gently lifted him from his chin.

Bofur swallowed. His hands gripped the edges of the stone to the point he felt them sting. His fingers were getting scraped and he wouldn’t be surprised if they started bleeding.

Their bodies were a distance away from each other, but all that could change in an instant with one step. Fili inched his face closer. “You getting flushed has become normal now?” He chuckled. “Tell me, does this mean you walk with _this_ commonly now?” Suddenly, and without warning, Fili took that one step and pressed their bodies tightly together. He pushed against Bofur, causing his back to grind against the stone, rather painfully, but it was completely unnoticed by him as something else caught his attention.

Bofur gasped when Fili finally crossed the line. His body firmly pressing against his own was causing Bofur’s erection to rub against their stomachs, and it was just too much for him to handle. To make matters worse, Fili wasn’t just pressed; he was _moving_ , rubbing against him and giving him friction.

He wanted to stop, but he also wanted more. One part of his mind was telling him it was wrong, the other wanted it to continue. He was torn.

He didn’t have much time to think. Fili still held him by the chin and pressed their lips together, successfully swallowing any kind of noise Bofur was going to make when he rubbed particularly hard. Both of them were breathing hard now, and Bofur could see stars in the horizon. Whether the stars were coming from Fili or his head cracking against the stone he didn’t know, but he didn’t want it to stop.

Suddenly, Fili did exactly that and stopped all movements, pulling away and forcing his body still. He pressed his forehead against Bofur’s, trying to calm his breathing. “Tell me to stop… and I will listen.” He said through erratic breaths.

Bofur couldn’t believe what he had just heard. Here he was, ready to give himself without any sense in his mind, and Fili still had the decency to _ask_ if he wanted to continue. If he didn’t have a raging erection screaming for attention he would have thought the sentiment was rather sweet.

Bofur was about to _beg_ for the prince to continue, but then a part of his mind cleared up and through the fog a thought crossed him. Two thoughts actually, both sounding like the dark-haired prince and future king under the mountain.

_“Do not allow Fili to go more than a kiss.”_

_“ **don’t** let it escalate further.”_

He sighed against Fili’s forehead, closing his eyes in defeat. There was no helping it. He made a promise and he had to keep it, no matter how hard and how tempting it was to.

“We can’t…” He whispered.

It was Fili who sighed against Bofur’s forehead this time. A small, sad smile formed on his face. “I understand.” They kissed one more time before separating. The kiss was gentle compared to the ferocious battle they had.

“Bofur, would you mind if I set my bedroll near yours?”

Bofur tapped their foreheads together briefly. “I won’t mind.” The smile came back on Fili’s face full force. He gave the older dwarf a quick peck on his lips before heading further down the river so they could take care of their problem separately.

Bofur knew it was a _they_ problem because, while he was never going to admit it, during their little session he felt something rather _big_ that didn’t belong to him poke his inner thigh.

He submerged into the water again, this time miserably. He was thankful the water was cool, so his erection died down rather quickly without him having to do anything. It was still very uncomfortable though, and rather painful too.

He left the water to retrieve his clothes, and once dressed made his way back to the company. At first he was surprised to find them all in their bedrolls already, but when he remembered the sleepless night it all made sense. He was so focused on Fili that his tiredness was completely forgotten by his body. But then it came crashing back down on him full force.

His eyes were on the verge of closing when he set up his bedroll. He never even noticed when Fili arrived, set up next to him and snaked his arm around, repeating the same night as the one before Rivendell.

Bofur was too tired to think things through, so without much thought he wrapped his hand around Fili’s and allowed himself to be pulled closer, reforming that same, perfect shape as before. 


	7. Love Cold as Stone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thorin and Bilbo, stone giants, and Kili just realized something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something I probably should have said in the beginning, but better late than ever. In case you haven't figured it out, in which case I thank you! I'm posting this story without a beta reader. If you find mistakes or see things become too repetitive, those are all mine and I apologize. Thanks for continuing to read, though!

Bofur feared what the next day would bring.

For some reason he fixed in his mind that both Thorin and Kili knew what he and Fili almost did in the river and was waiting for them to corner him and have a strike with their blades. But it never came.

Either that, or they were waiting for him to let his guard down and strike him from behind.

That didn’t come either.

Still the fear would not subside.

“What is on your mind that has you as skittish as a stag?” Bombur asked from his side, causing Bofur to not jump an inch in the air from his pony.

“Bombur!” Bofur squeaked before clearing his voice. “Don’t do that!”

“Do what? Sneak up on you? Because I have news for you, brother I’ve been riding besides you since the mornin’.”

“You haven’t spoken a word since the morning.” Bofur countered.

“Aye, only because I didn’t think you’d hear them if I tried. What has you in deep thought? Surely this much thinking isn’t good for you.”

Bofur sarcastically laughed. “Ha, ha, very funny. I thought I was the jester here.”

“You are,” Bombur assured him. “but lately you’ve been… distracted, of sorts.” He looked towards the golden prince to emphasize his point. “Someone has to take your job.”

“Just you wait then. I’ll reclaim my throne and give you the joking of a _lifetime_.” Bofur promised.

“In the _meantime_ I’ll keep your throne warm for you.” Bombur finished and made his pony trot off, leaving Bofur behind and alone with his thoughts.

Surprisingly, for the most part of the day he was left alone. No Fili showed up to attack his privates, no Kili showed up to cut them off, and no Thorin showed up to chop off his head. The one with Fili was really the most surprising of the three, and for a split second Bofur feared that maybe the prince was avoiding him because of what happened in the river. Even though it was he who initiated it. 

That thought was crossed the moment it came up. If that had been the case then Fili wouldn’t had cuddled him during night, and kept a faraway distance from him. When he snuck a quick glance to search for him in the front he was properly reassured from his thoughts when Fili turned back and gave him a smile and a wave.

If it wasn’t avoidance keeping him away, then what was?

The only other explanation was privacy, but Bofur never asked for it. Well, he did before, but he didn’t want it right now!

“Would you mind some company?” Unlike his brother, who just spoke without warning, Bilbo had the decency to clear his throat and signal his presence. He also asked the question with a soft and respectable voice, never once causing Bofur to jump an inch in the air from fright.

“Mind the company of our fine hobbit burglar? Never.” Bofur replied with a grin, and even though he made absolute sure that his voice radiated humor from the complement he still managed to cause the hobbit to blush.

“You were a troublemaker when you were younger, weren’t you?” Bilbo asked when he gained some composure.

“Bless me, how did you know? Are you some sort of wizard?”

“Hardly. It’s written all over your face.”

“Is it now? Curses, I told my brother to stop writing it on my face when I sleep. I don’t want everyone to know before I got the first joke out.” Bofur started wiping his face playfully, causing Bilbo to laugh at his silly actions.

Both hobbit and dwarf continued their silly banters, laughing and choking from their actions. Having someone to chat with that wasn’t about his potion problem was really refreshing, and Bofur found his spirits returned, and lifted his worries away. After all, as he always said before, laughter was (and _is_ ) the greatest medicine around. But he didn’t dare say that around Oin. That old healer would give him a stern talking to if he heard him saying that, and possibly nag him to the point his ears would fall off.

“You didn’t!” Bilbo shouted and laughed harder than ever before.

Bofur leaned on his side and was on the verge of falling off his pony. He clutched his stomach, trying to sooth away the pain from laughing so much, but he just couldn’t stop. “I did!” He said between breathes. “That poor lad thought I was serious! His face, oh! His face!”

He leaned even further on the side, and if it wasn’t for Bilbo grabbing hold of his shoulder and pushing him back up he would have likely fallen off.

“Bofur! Pull yourself together.” Bilbo said with a smile still in place.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I-” Bofur took a deep breath, trying to calm down, but it didn’t help any and he started laughing all over again. This caused Bilbo to laugh again, and together they laughed in unison, making the entire company hear and join in their smiling, though, they had no idea the reason behind it was. Still, the sight of Bofur and Bilbo on the verge of tears and faces turning blue from lack of air was enough to make them chuckle.

All except for two.

Thorin did not like what he was seeing, or hearing. One of his company and their burglar were getting too friendly for his liking. As if having his nephew pinning after him wasn’t enough. Now he had to go and have the hobbit at his side.

He growled at nothing and forced the thoughts away. He wasn’t sure if he was angry that Bofur was out and pursuing the company while Fili was under a spell, or angry that Bilbo was accepting his advances and laughing along.

He shook his head. Now was not the time to think things like that. If the hobbit wanted to accept the advances then fine, he wasn’t going to stop it. Even if it left him a stabbing feeling he won’t get in the way. What he will not stand for, however, was watching the advances while his nephew was under a spell and seeing the hurt and anger in his eyes. Fake or not, the jealousy was all too real and the broken heart as well.

Thorin didn’t even bother to look back when Fili made a quick movement to steer his pony to the opposite direction. He only hoped that his nephew didn’t attack their burglar. They still needed him, and they weren’t even close to reaching Erebor.

“Uncle?”

Thorin didn’t look at Kili when he answered. “Yes, Kili?”

“Fili just went back to Bofur, and from the look in his eyes he’s about ready to strike at something. I feel our hobbit is in danger.” Kili watched as his brother reached Bofur and Bilbo and practically glued himself to the miner’s side, giving Bilbo stern looks when the hobbit wasn’t looking.

“Just let it be. There is not much we can do. Keep an eye on Fili and make sure he doesn’t strike any of the halfling’s fingers.” Thorin spat the last name with less malice than intended. To anyone else this would have gone by unnoticed, but this was Kili he was talking to. His nephew, the dwarf who looked up to him.

A moment of silence later Kili finally spoke. “Bilbo isn’t interested in Bofur. He’s just trying to comfort him, since the situation is quite odd.”

“I did not ask for the reason why the hobbit is doing so.” Thorin bit back.

“Of course. Just thought I’d point out.” Kili pulled back a bit so he was riding behind Thorin and had a decent view of his brother and the victims.

Strangely enough, Thorin thought, the stabbing feeling he had beforehand disappeared when Kili mentioned why the hobbit was spending the day with Bofur. Thorin didn’t think much of it, however. They had a long journey still, and he couldn’t afford distractions.

Kili watched over his brother from his spot, witnessing when Fili walked and pressed himself possessively against Bofur. They exchanged a few words with themselves and Bilbo before the hobbit excused himself and all but sprinted away from the two. Kili was positive that even though his brother didn’t outright say it, Bilbo could sense the threatening vibe loud and clear, and probably did the right choice running for his life.

If the potion somehow made Fili fall in love, who knows what else it could possibly make him do.

Kili continued to watch the two. He watched as Bofur said something and caused Fili to laugh. He watched as Fili whispered something that caused Bofur to flush. He watched as they stared longingly at each other. He watched as they exchanged the same exact look in their eyes. The smile, the brightness, the _love_.

Then it hit him.

Hit him when the horrible realization came to light.

Bofur was giving Fili the same exact _potion-induced-look_ he was giving him. The same look meant to be shared with the one they loved.

Bofur was giving that look to Fili.

Bofur was falling love with Fili. Truly in love.

But Fili wasn’t in love with Bofur. He was under a spell.

Kili drew a quick breath from the realization. He had been worried for the wrong person this entire time. When the spell wore off Fili would forget it ever happened, but not Bofur. Bofur would remember everything that occurred. All the sweet gestures. All the playful poking from the company. Everything Fili had done to claim Bofur as his.

“Thorin!” Kili hissed and hurried his pony to reach his uncle. “Uncle, we have to separate Fili and Bofur at once.” He said loud enough for only them two to hear.

Thorin looked at him. “We have tried already. Nothing we do will keep them separated.”

“The situation has become dire now.” Kili reasoned. “Bofur, he’s… I fear he’s truly falling in love with Fili.”

Thorin looked to consider this, gave a quick glance at the two dwarves they were speaking of, and looked back at his dark haired nephew. “Even so, there is not much we can do.” He finally said.

Kili looked shocked. “Surely we’re not just going to let this continue. Our companion is falling for lies! Uncle, we can’t just-”

“This matter is out of our hands, Kili.” Thorin interrupted. “I don’t like it as much as you do, but we can hardly do anything.”

They remained silent, the realization sinking in. They let their ponies walk in unison, and their minds became clouded from worry.

“Perhaps,” Thorin started. “our burglar has the right sense in comforting Bofur.” He looked behind them to spot the hobbit, and if Kili saw his uncle give their burglar a fond gaze he wasn’t going to say anything.

Kili nodded. “When the time comes we’ll lend him a shoulder to rest on.” He said referring to Bofur.

Thorin faced the road ahead of them again. “Though, the sentiment might not mean the same with me.” He said suddenly and smiled when Kili gave him a questioning look. “Bofur will think I am out to get him. He fears me.” He clarified.

Kili smiled back. “You are rather frightening. Could you blame the poor dwarf?”

“I am not _that_ frightening.”

“Uncle, you have a permanent scowl on your face.” Kili laughed when his uncle retaliated by forming that same scowl he just mentioned. “If only you could look at yourself now.”

“Enough. Go keep an eye on your brother.” Thorin ordered with no malice.

“Aye, I’ll go give our hobbit company while I’m at it too.” Kili said innocently before steering away towards Bilbo, making the scowl on his uncle’s face permanently stay for the rest of the day.

* * *

 

It was near nightfall by the time they reached the Misty Mountains, and a new problem had risen.

The mountains were known for their narrow paths and sheer drops, and a herd of ponies did not mix well.

With heavy hearts they agreed to release the ponies and set them loose, but not before each dwarf and hobbit bid their farewells to their respected pony.

The mountain was as narrow and high as they predicted, and each member of the company took the steps slow and cautious. That didn’t make the treacherous walk any safer though, because not even halfway the sky decided to go against them and released a massive rain with immense lightning and thunder. All of them clutched the stone walls for dear life and continued forward.

Fili walked behind Kili and in front of Bofur, keeping an eye on them both and staying ever watchful for any falling rocks or accidental slips that could cause either of them to fall off the mountain. When a few loud thunders roared he would shoot his arms out and grabbed them both, reassuring himself that they were still there.

Out of nowhere the mountain rumbled and shook ferociously, and all of them nearly had heart attacks when a large stone fell from above them. There was panic and chaos everywhere as they tried to see in front of them, but the rain made it impossible.

Just then a large, _extremely_ large, rocky outline of a figure revealed itself from a lightning strike, and those who managed to get a glimpse stared in shock.

“This is no thunder storm, it’s a thunder battle!” Balin shouted and pointed at the outline. “Look!”

“Well bless me.” Bofur said. “The legends are true.” He walked closer to the edge and stared in awe, completely forgetting the danger temporarily and ignoring the fact that the stone giant just threw a large chunk of rock towards them. “Giants! Stone Giants!”

Fili grabbed hold of him and yanked him back, along with his brother and braced against the mountain just as the large rock flew above them and struck another giant. Then, without warning, the mountain started shaking and broke apart right between Kili’s feet. He jumped to one side as Fili stayed on the other. The mountain split in two and started separating.

“Kili! Grab my hand!” Fili shouted and desperately reached to his brother, but the mountain moved too fast and nearly knocked him off. If Bofur hadn’t reached out to grab him he would have most likely fallen to his death.

Kili watched in horror as his brother was forced farther apart from him. “Fili!”

Suddenly, the mountain moved, and it became apparent that the company wasn’t standing on a mountain at all, but on a stone giant! The giant moved to stand, but another slammed its head against it and caused it to crash back down. This gave the half of the company consisting of Kili a chance to jump off the giant as its leg crashed against a more permanent ground. Thorin ordered them to move and they listened without hesitation.

Once on proper footing Kili and Thorin looked back for Fili and watched in horror as the stone giant took his half of the group for a dangerous ride. Fili hanged on for dear life and had an arm pressed against Bofur to keep him safe. Bofur likewise had an arm pressed against Fili and refused to let him go.

The stone giant they were on lost his head from a strike by another, and as the beheaded body moved one final time they caught a glimpse of Kili and Thorin looking at them in fear before the sight of the mountain came crashing against them.

“NO!” Thorin shouted. “No! Fili!” He ran to the group, dread in his heart at the thought of Fili now dead, squashed against the stones, but it was quickly replaced with relief when he found the entire group still intact, Fili amongst them, and moving.

Bofur searched and felt around for Fili, and when he found him gave him a brief hug, which Fili gratefully returned, before searching for someone else. “Where’s Bilbo?” He asked, dread returning full force.

Thorin also looked around, his own fear returning as well. His heart was on the verge of leaping out of his chest when he found the hobbit hanging on the ledge and inches away from falling.

Ori lunged to grab Bilbo but was too slow and the hobbit slid one ledge lower, managing to grab hold again to stop his drop. Both Ori and Bofur stretched out to try and grab hold of him, but they were unable to reach. It was Thorin that hauled Bilbo back up when he jumped down, and almost ended up falling off himself when he slipped. Dwalin was there to save him, however, managing to reach and pull him back up with a bit of trouble.

Safe and sound, at least momentarily, they all took a second to breathe.

“I thought we lost our burglar.” Dwalin said.

“He’s been lost ever since he left home.” Thorin growled. “He should never have come. He has no place amongst us.” He held nothing back and spoke every word with frustration. He turned away and missed the look the hobbit gave him. He also ignored the feeling of his chest tightening at his own words.

Finding a cave he ordered everyone inside, and once it was looked over decided to set up camp for the night.

Once everything was set Fili was on Bofur’s side immediately, after making sure Kili and Thorin were alright. Bofur had been sitting near Bilbo, trying to comfort the hobbit. He knew the other harbored feelings, and the words Thorin used were sharper than any blade, striking right through the hobbit’s heart.

Fili needed his own comforting, and after what they had just been through he wasn’t going to let Bofur out of his sights anytime soon. He sat next to the miner and snaked his arms around him, holding him there and refusing to let go.

Bilbo had left shortly after, taking up a spot away from the company. Bofur looked on, wishing there was more he could do, and he wasn’t the only one.

Kili watched Bilbo as well. He was shocked at what his uncle had said and was tempted on giving him a stern talking to. No matter the situation he shouldn’t have said those words to their burglar. He swore he would talk to his uncle the following morning, but right now he was just thankful that they were all in one piece. His uncle, his brother, Bilbo, Bofur, all safe and sound.

At least that’s what it seemed.

After falling asleep the company was woken up by Thorin’s shouts and before any of them knew it the ground opened up and swallowed them all. 


	8. Gentle Touch in Shifts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Small amount of Bilbo/Thorin progress and Beorn.

The ride down to Goblin-Town was most unpleasant, and downright painful to boot, but after being taken prisoners and saved by Gandalf, who led their escape out of the town, they managed to finally exit the mountain. It was a joyous occasion, until it was discovered Bilbo was missing.

And of course Thorin still held bitterness and accused the hobbit of abandoning them. Even through the supposed hatred Kili and Bofur could tell that it wasn’t directed at Bilbo, not exactly. Some of it was meant for the king’s own actions.

When he claimed they would not be seeing their hobbit again, the words felt empty of anger. Another emotion filled the void, one of hurt. That feeling soon disappeared when Bilbo returned and swore he was going to stand by their side until they reclaimed their home. He had Bag End waiting for him after all, but the dwarves didn’t have a place to belong, and he wasn’t going to leave until he remedied that.  

Naturally the warm feeling didn’t last long when the orcs decided to run them down to the edge of a cliff, and climbing the trees only bought them a bit of time. It all went downhill when Azog the Defiler revealed himself well and alive and ordered the wargs to kill everyone but Thorin.

A bit of quick thinking on Gandalf’s part and the company managed to ward off the wargs with fire. That was until the one tree they were all chased to broke down and had them hanging for dear life… again.

Then, Thorin decided to be self-sacrificing and marched to face Azog himself. He managed to hold his own, but he was no match against Azog riding on top his faithful white warg. Still, Thorin didn’t give up and continued the fight to the point where he couldn’t stand up when he was thrown to the ground.

Bilbo watched it all happen, occurring right in front of his eyes. The sight of Thorin lying motionless tore his heart, and when an orc stood above his body with a sword on his neck, ready to strike, Bilbo acted on impulse. He rushed and tackled the orc head on, giving it no time to retaliate and struck him multiple times with his letter opener. He placed all his emotions on each strike, striking for Thorin, striking for the company, striking to keep the dwarf king safe.

With the orc dead he stood in front of Thorin’s body protectively as three others hunted towards him. He was outnumbered, but he didn’t care. He was going to protect Thorin until his last breath.

He was never more thankful then when he heard the ferocious battle cries of Fili, Kili and Dwalin. They charged with determination and struck at the orcs. Bilbo soon followed and battled along their side.

Together they managed to buy enough time until, much to Bilbo’s surprise but still very grateful, a flock of giant eagles arrived and began throwing orcs and wargs off the cliff. They survived the battle when the eagles carried them away from the danger. One eagle held Thorin’s unconscious body between its talons, and it scared Bilbo endlessly that the dwarf king made no sign of moving.  What if he hadn’t made it in time? Was Thorin truly gone?

“Thorin!” Fili cried in despair with Kili sitting behind him. They both wore the same fearful expressions.

Bilbo wanted, more than anything at that moment, to shout for Thorin as well. Shout for him to wake up, but he couldn’t. He had no right. He was just a hobbit who Thorin despised. He still didn’t have a place by his side.

The eagles dropped them off on the Carrock. Thorin was placed on it first, and Gandalf was by his side the moment he stepped on the stone. Thorin stirred when the wizard mumbled words and Bilbo released a breath of relief. The dwarf king was up on his feet stumbling, and the first thing he asked for was the hobbit.

At first Bilbo expected a thank you, or at least get a grateful hug (maybe), but to his hurtful disappointment Thorin scolded him instead. He reminded him of being a burden and had no place amongst them. Bilbo was on the verge of tears, but what Thorin did next both surprised and healed him.

Thorin hugged him, saying he had never been so wrong and apologized for everything. Bilbo was so happy on that moment, so relieved, that he hardly paid attention to the looks and grins both Kili and Bofur were giving him.

The eagles flew off when their task was finished, and turning to look to the horizon the company found the very thing they were doing this journey for. The Lonely Mountain, Erebor, their home. It was a beautiful sight, the mountain far off in the distance, making it look smaller than what it probably was and Bilbo couldn’t believe they made it this far. By some miracle they have, and in one piece, or at least close to it. Thorin had injuries that needed to be tended, and Oin was on it right away, but first they needed to get down from the Carrock.

Getting down from it was a completely different story compared to how they got on it through flight, and to Thorin it was nearly painful, but they managed.

The moment they touched the ground each dwarf collapsed in their own way. Some of them just outright laid on the grass while others found stones or logs to sit on. Oin tended the injured (mostly Thorin) with a bit of help from Gandalf and by the time he was done the sun rested above them. The natural healer that he was Oin ordered Thorin to rest, which the king stubbornly fought against, but once he found himself outnumbered by Oin, both his nephews, Bilbo, and surprisingly, Gandalf, he had no choice but to listen.

They set up camp for the night and everyone got to work with what little they had now. Thorin stubbornly sat on a log and scowled at the fire. Bilbo occasionally glanced at him, but otherwise made no move to initiate a conversation or to sit by him.

Kili watched the pair and had to shake his head at their stubbornness, especially that of his uncle.  Either that dwarf was purposely ignoring his feelings for the hobbit, or he was completely oblivious to them. Kili was tempted in playing matchmaker, but held himself back. It might still be too early and the last thing he wanted was to accidentally scare away Bilbo, or by the stone, scare _Thorin_.

Kili ignored his uncle and the hobbit for now and changed his focus on his brother and the hat wearing miner. Not surprisingly Fili was glued to Bofur’s side, and didn’t look like he was going to move anytime soon. Bofur, likewise, didn’t want Fili to move, if his arm discretely wrapped around the golden prince’s waist was anything to go by. It was hidden away from sight by Fili’s fur coat, but Kili still managed to see the bare fingers and the top side of Bofur’s hand wrappers.

With everyone settled and eager to get some rest without having goblins or orcs chase after them, the day passed relatively fast, and the night passed even faster.

In the morning everyone woke up with sore muscles they weren’t so happy to have, but they tackled the day like any other, minus the running away for their life part. Without their ponies the land seemed more painful than before and each step became heavier and heavier. By the time the sun reached above them half of the company couldn’t make another league.

Bofur and Fili walked side by side, with a little twist added. Kili joined them and took the spot a bit on the front while Bombur and Bifur took the back. There wasn’t much conversation going on, but just being near each other gave them comfort. The attack from the orcs left them a bit shaken, and they needed their family nearby just to be sure. Of course Bofur and Fili couldn’t be separated, so their brothers and cousin silently agreed to travel together and accept each other’s company.

Thorin still took the spot in front with Gandalf near his side, and if any dwarf noticed the oddity of the hobbit walking a bit closer to their king, they weren’t going to say anything.

They crossed many leagues before someone spoke of rest and Gandalf announced he had a friend that might help them with that.

Gandalf took the lead from Thorin and directed the dwarves and hobbit to an open spot in the forest that had one of the warmest houses any of them had seen since the start of their journey. It was a grand structure. Everything was oversized compared to them, but the green scenery made a lovely décor and showed friendliness, in Bilbo’s opinion.

The one to open the door was a great, strong man by the name of Beorn. He didn’t seem too fond of the company at first when he spotted them, but when Gandalf vouched for them he allowed them inside and gave them shelter and food.

The dwarves and hobbit found many surprises when they entered. The house was filled with animals, animals that were walking on two legs, serving, taking their coats and cleaning the building to make it presentable.

“I have plenty of rooms for you to rest in, but you will find the beds a bit large in size.” The dwarves snorted. If the beds were meant to accommodate others in Beorn’s size than obviously they were going to be huge beds. After sleeping on the ground for so many days they honestly didn’t care. They were just eager to get them already. “My friends will lead you to your rooms.” Beorn pointed to a group of dogs. “When you are settled we will have food ready for you in the dining hall.”

“Thank you, my friend.” Gandalf said.

The dogs led them all across a hall that had doors spread all over. Each one assigned themselves to a dwarf and when they came close to their destination grabbed whatever part of their clothing they reached at that time and dragged them away to designated rooms. There were plenty so each member of the company, including Bilbo and Gandalf, had their own, giant room to do as they pleased.

The moment Bofur spotted a bed after entering his room and thanking the dog he ran to it and climbed, eager to just lay there and never get up again. Just like Beorn had said the bed was oversized and probably fit three or four dwarves together, but Bofur didn’t mind. A bed was a bed, and after sleeping for days on the hard ground this particular bed felt like Mahal sent.

Before climbing up Bofur had made sure to close the door to the room, so when he heard it squeak open, signaling someone was entering (and without knocking to boot!) he found he was too tired to look who it was. He had a general idea of who it _might_ have been.

On the bed Bofur felt the material move from another weight. His visitor was straightforward and clearly felt comfortable in what they were doing. This confirmed his suspicion of who it was, and his first thought was ‘how in middle earth did he find his room?’ He didn’t bother opening his eyes when he felt arms wrap around him. He instead smiled and cuddled closer to the contact.

“You look blissful.” He heard the voice that could only ever belong to Fili comment and felt a kiss press against his cheek.

“Aye, having a bed after sleeping on the ground for so long does that.” Bofur opened one eye and came upon the sight of a beautifully smiling prince Fili.

Fili pulled him closer and rested his head on his shoulder. They stayed like this for a small amount of time until Fili spoke again. “The food should be out soon. We need to get up if we want to eat. I fear our kin might finish it if we linger here.”

“Don’t want to.” Bofur mumbled.

“Come, the sooner we get there the sooner we can come back and you can sleep the night and coming day away.”

Bofur groaned, but he had to admit, the prince made a fair point. With a bit of struggle, since Fili still rested his head on him, they got up and retraced their steps back to the dining hall. The entire company was already there and surrounded the giant table. Two spots were still available between Kili and Bifur. Fili sat next to his brother and Bofur next to his cousin and together they watched, quite oddly, the animals serve the food around skillfully.

One search around the table and Bofur found Bilbo sitting next to Thorin. When the hobbit met his gaze he grinned broadly and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, making him blush and look away.

“Do you think they’ll realize each other’s feelings before we reach the mountain?” Fili asked quietly so only Bofur could hear when he found him looking at the two.

“If we’re lucky. By the looks of it Bilbo will be safe and sound back in his home before they even consider it.” Bofur looked at Fili. “It’s good to know I’m not the only one who noticed.”

“Half of the company probably noticed. The others will find out soon enough.” Fili finished and started munching away on his bread piece and cheese.

Bofur nodded and did the same thing with his own food. The sooner he finished, the sooner he could return back to the bed and sleep until his heart’s content.

Halfway through the meal Fili had sneaked his hand over to Bofur’s and intertwined them together, giving him a gentle squeeze that Bofur returned a bit hesitantly.


	9. Tempt Me So

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bofur isn't perfect and fighting temptation is hard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey...! Sorry this took so long. In my little absence this story ended up growing more than originally intended. I'm kind of upset with that since I wanted this story to be relatively short, but seems I can't fight destiny! And now that I finally reached the point where most of the stuff is taking place expect somewhat longer chapters. I rushed the beginning part because everything really happens after the Carrocks~
> 
> Also, I might have added something in this story that will lead to something else in the future. Hope you guys won't mind it, and I hope you continue reading!  
> Thanks so much for still sticking!
> 
> (If you're curious about what that something is here is a hint. It involves... uh... it involves... maybe...? Well, damn. I can't really give a hint without giving the whole thing away. Alright fine. It involves reproduction! Oops, did I say that out loud?)

Beorn’s hall was admittedly a grand place. It felt like a small castle. At least if compared to the dwarven and hobbit company. The place was made for a very large man after all.

Even though Beorn showed he wasn’t fond of dwarves – at first – he and the animals still provided excellent hospitality in the upcoming morning. Both for the first _and_ the second up parties. Few dwarves woke up bright and early. They weren’t known for being early risers after all.

Naturally Bilbo was amongst the first up. Going on a quest, sleeping outdoors with only a dirt-covered bedroll and stones poking at his back was no excuse to sleep in late. The day needed to get started properly, and who knew how Bilbo’s father would react if he ever heard of his son sleeping the morning away. It just wasn’t proper, and after sleeping on a bed for the first time in days he was more than eager to rise up.

The same wasn’t said for Bofur.

He was on the list of dwarves who slept well past noon, and frankly he could have slept even longer if allowed the chance, but his stomach wouldn’t hear of it and demanded he get his lazy arse up and get food.

It was easier said than done. The thought of turning and lifting his body weight seemed like too much work with his groggy mind, but when he finally submitted defeat because it seemed his stomach was putting up as much of a fight as he was giving and got up. When he did he found himself with two surprises. The first was his head felt naked and cold. He could tell he was missing his faithful, wooly companion without having to reach out and feel it. So the first question to arise was ‘where in the world his hat was?’

When he turned to start his search and rescue he found the second surprise along with where the first surprise’s location was. Turned out he wasn’t alone in the giant bed and his hat was safely (and completely stolen) placed on another dwarf’s head. The golden curls and braids scattered all over the giant pillow somehow complimented the younger dwarf’s face. Made him look somewhat childish and silly, but still very beautiful.

With the answer to his first question found the second question came up. ‘When did Fili join him during the night?’

He was pretty sure that when he fell asleep there wasn’t anybody else in the bed with him (He would remember falling asleep with another body present), and to be honest with himself he shouldn’t be as surprised by the younger dwarf’s presence as he was. Fili had been chasing him for a grand portion of the journey so far, if not all of it. One little room with no locks was hardly a barrier to stop him.

Bofur continued his study of Fili’s face and posture. The other looked pleasant and completely relaxed. He was facing away from him, but Bofur could still see his plump lips curved upwards slightly. If there was ever a time when he frowned or glared there was absolutely no sign of it.

 His golden eyelashes flickered every once in a while as he continued to breath softly (Let’s be honest. He was actually snoring like a troll, but Bofur didn’t hear any of it). The covers of the bed only covered up to his waist, leaving his broad, shirt-covered chest completely exposed. He looked so content, so free from the troubles of the world, and so beautiful.

Bofur swallowed. Faith’s temptations were beyond cruel, and he found he couldn’t resist it. A beautiful, golden dwarf rested peacefully next to him. Ripe and practically begging to be taken. How could the creators tempt him so? It just wasn’t fair!

He closed his eyes in defeat and slammed his face down to the pillow. He wanted to scream, he wanted to shout curses to those responsible for his horrid luck, he wanted to hit his head against the hardest boulder imaginable, and more than anything he wanted to hold Fili and never let him go.

With each passing hour, each passing day, and each stolen glance he found the pathetic and doomed to fail from the start promise he made to Thorin and Kili about not going further than a simple kiss with Fili become harder to keep. He knew the golden prince’s attraction was a complete lie and every action and word that comes from him was not his own. It was all that blasted potion’s fault, and oh how he wished now more than ever he had never entered that cave.

Thinking back he should have just walked away when the princes decided to go exploring, nothing good ever came out of curiosity, or he could have gotten someone else to go after them instead. That way it could have been one of the others getting chased, assaulted and threatened at every possible second instead of him. The situation could have been more bearable, and instead of being the target he could have been the one poking fun. It would serve them right by all means.

Bofur sighed against the pillow and lifted himself up. Gaining courage he dared give the prince another look. Still beautiful and peaceful as before the temptation rose up like a fire and Bofur snakingly reached out a hand. The promise and the lies returned full force in the back of his head and he stopped just inches away from the youngsters face.

_Just this once._ Bofur thought. _Just this once let me have a moment of weakness. Let me enjoy this lie. This beautiful lie._

Some of the courage came back and slowly he ran his fingers across Fili’s jaw and trailed it up to his golden curls, stopping when he reached his hat. He glared at his companion somewhat.

_Lucky bastard._

He ran his fingers across a second time and lingered on a strand of hair, scanning its beauty and the way it glistened with the light. If he gave it enough force and twisted his hand in a certain way he could have kept the strand for himself. Kept it with him always. A secret only he knew about, but in the end he let it go. Let it go because he was unworthy and because he had no right to become its owner.

Bofur almost jumped when Fili’s head suddenly turned and faced him. He was afraid he had gotten caught nearly hairnapping one strand of his precious hair, but Fili made no move to pull a knife on him, let alone open his eyes; Bofur began to breathe easy again.

With the young dwarf’s face now completely visible and right in front of him Bofur found a new temptation rearing its ugly head. A temptation that reached the borders of his promise. He crawled closer to Fili, making his face stay inches away from the other. His heart was beating heavily against his chest, and honestly he wouldn’t be surprised if Fili ended up waking up from the sheer pounding it was causing.

Bofur looked to the door cautiously. This would be the first, and only, time in which _he_ was the one to steal a kiss, and he would be thankful if nobody was around to see him do so. The last thing he wanted was Thorin and Kili cornering him with weapons and ready to chop his beard off.

Deeming it safe enough he turned back and gained his courage again. Fili was still sleeping and snoring like a bear (No offense, Beorn) he will never know about Bofur’s small weakness, and he prayed to keep it that way. He didn’t want to encourage the prince’s behavior, but Bofur wasn’t perfect. He wasn’t strong, nor was he smart, and frankly he wasn’t anything special. Bofur was just Bofur. A simple miner and toy maker. There was nothing interesting about him.

Fili would have never looked his way. Fili was important, he was royal and he was beautiful. Someone like him chasing after someone like Bofur? The very idea was ludicrous, and if someone were to put it extremely, it was an abomination.

Bofur ran a thumb across Fili’s brow, softly stroking it in a caring and loving manner. Nobody was around to see him at his most weakest. It was alright to do it as long as nobody but himself knew, right? No dwarf, hobbit or wizard had to know that Bofur willingly snatched a kiss from the prince. They didn’t have to know that he secretly wanted it, or that he had grown to like the attention given to him. It was all a lie, but he could enjoy it, right? Experience what it was like to have someone care for him as a lover for the first time in his life. Be someone’s whole world.

As long as nobody knew it was alright.

As long as Fili didn’t know it was fine.

As long as it stayed with him and only him he could live another day.

He could only hope it did.

Bofur finally closed the gap between him and Fili. Slowly he placed their lips together. It was a small, and soft kiss, nothing special. After all it was _Bofur_ giving the kiss, and nothing was special when it was him involved.

He quickly pulled back when he felt movement, and with his heart pounding in his ears he looked on in horror. Had he woken up Fili? Did Fili know? Was he caught? Were Thorin and Kili making their way to his room right now?

So many thoughts, possibilities and questions crossed his mind and panic started settling in, but minutes passed and nothing happened. Fili had only stirred slightly, but other than that he was still sound asleep, or somewhat still asleep. His snoring had died down a bit. It was still there, but it was quiet beyond dwarven standards.

Bofur remained still for a long while, not daring to move in case the slightest twitch somehow managed to wake up the prince. Not even when his arm started to strain did he move. Through the pain he remained, making sure that the prince was still asleep and continued that way. Only when he started to jerk from a cramp building up did he finally readjusted himself in a way to release the tension with the tiniest movement possible.

Fili still remained asleep and unmoved. His snores were still quiet, but when he made no action to show he was waking up soon, Bofur dared to repeat again.

_Just one more. Just one! And then I’ll get off the bed and run away from the room._ Bofur nodded to himself and leaned down again. He just wanted to have one more, and then he would never to it again. One stolen kiss was enough for a life time. Two was just pushing it, but maybe it was his lucky day?

Their lips touched again. Bofur forced himself to stay a bit longer and even dared to close his eyes. He imagined Fili kissing back, holding him close with one arm around his waist and the other holding his face. The image was so realistic that Bofur almost felt it. Felt the warmth of those hands holding him protectively and never letting go. The hand on his face slowly moving to the back of his head and pushing their lips even closer. He almost felt the fingers wrapping around his hair and the dull pain of them almost pulled from their base.

Fili’s mouth twitched in his fantasy. His lips slowly parting and pulling back only to return with full force. He felt his nose brush against his cheek and his whiskers tickling and tangling with his own. The image felt so real… too real. He suddenly felt the presence of another leg traveling up his own and – was that a hip colliding with his?

His eyes snapped open and sure enough, also much to his horror, Fili’s eyes were open and he was looking intently at him. Bofur pulled back abruptly and landed on his back, his eyes never leaving Fili’s. How long was he awake? How much did he know? Oh Mahal, what had he done?!

Fili didn’t looked bothered one bit about the action. In fact, he looked quite pleased and even had the nerve to smile. He got up and loomed over Bofur, who tried to crawl further away but was stopped when Fili placed an arm over him, resting his weight on it to hover over the miner.

“What a great way to wake up in the morning. I wouldn’t mind if you did that every day.” Said Fili with a smirk. An all too smug smirk in Bofur’s opinion.

Bofur would have retorted and said the entire thing was an accident. An accident _how_ he didn’t know, but give him more time and he would have thought up the perfect explanation.

“I didn’t-”

Fili raised an eyebrow. “So you weren’t just kissing me moments ago while I was asleep? Was that my mind playing tricks?” His smirk grew wider. “We better do it again and see if the kiss compares to my imagination.”

Bofur would never say that he squeaked like a mouse when Fili bent down and claimed his lips hungrily. If anyone asked he will deny it on the spot. No sir, Bofur never squeaked at all, and if there was a slight chance that he did it was thankfully swallowed by Fili, who didn’t waste any time with the kissing.

The miner got a sense of deja vu. What with the fierce kissing, the position and the prince’s leg somehow sneaking between his own and causing _friction_ , _again_. It was the cave scene that started this entire fiasco all over again! But this time they had less clothing on, both had just recently woken up, they had a bit more privacy, there was a door, and this time instead of staying frozen from shock and unable to stop, Bofur found himself not _wanting_ to stop. He hardly put up a fight and gave in willingly.

Fili pulled back after minutes of intense tongue wrestling to look at the older dwarf under him. “Bofur…” He whispered hoarsely. The sound making Bofur shiver from his neck to his toes.

“Fili…” Bofur whispered back, making the younger dwarf shiver just as much.

“I want to kiss you until you can’t breathe.” Fili kissed his nose. “I want to devour you until you can’t move.” He pecked his lower lip. “I want to hold you and never let go.”

Fili lifted his head and waited for Bofur to react. Even after all that he still managed to keep himself restraint from going any further with the miner, something that shocked Bofur on that very moment, because really, if it was Bofur doing the whole thing he would have been long gone. All sense in his head would have been thrown out the window and he’d probably be in his undergarments by now. He had to admit; the lad had self-control. Something Bofur was about to prove he didn’t have.

He was hot and bothered, his mind was clouded, and confound it all Bofur wasn’t perfect! Not even remotely remembering the promise he had made to the royal heirs that weren’t Fili he snatched the golden prince’s face and pulled him crashing down to his lips, consequences be damned. Although, he might have pulled him down too harsh and cringed momentarily when he felt their teeth collided together.

Fili took that as a sign to continue and started to rub his right leg between Bofur’s own again and used the older dwarf’s right thigh for his own. They moved against each other, settling in a rhythm with hips colliding and building the friction. Groans could be heard radiating from the back of both their throats and it only encouraged the other to move some more.

Bofur was so caught up with the pleasure that he forgot everything. He forgot where they were, he forgot their surroundings, he forgot their quest, he might have forgotten his name – _might_ – but most importantly he forgot that they weren’t alone.

A knock on the door froze them in action. Their faces instantly changing from half-lidded, lustful, and somewhat bedroom eyes to wide-opened and on the verge of popping out of there head horror eyes. When a second knock was heard Bofur quickly tossed Fili on his side, causing them both to slightly knee each other in their very sensitive lower regions, but Bofur didn’t have time to bend over and cradle his jewels. Someone was outside the door and they almost got caught.

“W-who is it?” He asked as he grabbed hold of the bed covers and quickly tossed it over them both.

“It’s Bombur. Tell me, are you alone? Are you decent?” Bombur asked from the other side of the door.

Bofur scoffed, even though his brother couldn’t hear him. “Yes I’m decent. What do you want?”

Cautiously, Bombur opened the door and peeked inside slowly, making sure that his brother was indeed decent. “Is that anyway to treat your brother when he went through the hassle of walking over here and telling you that breakfast is ready? Well, it’s not really breakfast since its past noon but still. If you don’t hurry up the others will finish it. Now, get your arse out of bed and come eat. Our host was nice enough to make two breakfasts and he won’t be making a third one.” Bombur paused briefly when he caught sight of Fili.

“Is he wearing your hat?” He asked suddenly.

Bofur looked at Fili who was indeed still wearing his hat. He had forgotten about it, and thinking more on it he understood why Bombur would ask such a question. Bofur never forgets about his longtime companion, and he certainly never, or hardly, let’s others wear it. Seeing it on Fili’s head would certainly raise questions and create assumptions.

Fili looked at Bombur a bit annoyingly. Most likely grumpy from having his intimate moment with Bofur interrupted. He reached out and tapped the hat over his head. “Why, yes I am. I’m indeed wearing dear Bofur’s hat.” He answered sarcastically. It was quite obvious that he was wearing the hat. You’d have to be blind _not_ to notice.

“So I see.” Bombur gave him a suspicious look before quickly replacing it with a forced smile. “Come brother. Food waits for no one, and if you don’t come down in the next minute I will eat your portion. And maybe even Fili’s as well.” He finished before turning back from wherever he came from.

“Oi! Bombur!” Bofur called after him but he was cut off when the door shut closed.

Fili grumbled and slumped on his back in defeat, staring at the ceiling pitifully. The pain they caused themselves in their haste to get off each other did the trick in deflating their arousal. It was a painful method, but it certainly worked. They won’t be doing that ever again.

Bofur snatched his hat and placed it on his head where it rightfully belonged. “We better make haste if we want to eat. I’m afraid my brother’s warning is real and if we linger here we won’t see a single crumb.”

Fili nodded and moved to follow Bofur off the bed, both groaning when they took their first step standing. Bofur placed a hand gently over his privates. The pain still fresh.

Yep, definitely never doing that again.


	10. To Realize and To Hold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The scene everyone was waiting for! (Or at least I was~ Tee-hee~)  
> Bofur finally understood what Bilbo meant.

When Bofur and Fili finally managed to make the painful trip to the dining table they found it relatively empty. The only folk seated were Balin, Dori, Bombur, Bifur, Kili and Bilbo. Balin and Dori were having a quiet conversation amongst themselves while sipping something they could only guess was tea, or maybe a fancy version of milk? Bombur and Bifur were bickering to each other, exchanging hand signs and muttering words in Khuzdul.  Bilbo looked the most miserable, having to put up with Kili’s teasing and poking. When the hobbit caught sight of them entering the area he sent them both a pleading look.

Bofur grinned at him but quickly came to his aid. Fili following closely behind. “Good morning.”

Bilbo’s shoulders relaxed in relief and smiled at him. “It’s actually way past morning now, but good morning to you too.”

“Aye, that’s right. Ended up sleeping past noon, didn’t we?”

“Afraid so. Beorn made a breakfast for you. He also has clothes if you want to bathe down by the stream.”

Bofur’s ears perked up at the mention of a bath. He then noticed Bilbo’s hair was still drying from recently taking one himself, and the urge grew for it. He grabbed pieces of bread, slathered them with honey and ate while trying his best not to choke from eating too fast. A bath was calling his name and he was more than eager to jump in. He was so focused on trying to finish he never noticed Fili’s hand intertwining with his own, or the seething glares his brother was sending the young prince.

Satisfied, he excused himself and practically ran. For an embarrassing moment he didn’t know where to run to until one of the dogs, if he remembered correctly the one who showed him his room, escorted him after asking for directions. When he saw the waters he almost felt like crying. There were stones that rose high from the ground, causing the water to run through it like a waterfall. One segment of rock made a small pond of sorts, and ignoring that he still had a guest he began shedding his clothes until he was butt-naked and jumped in the waters.

The groaned he made when the warm water engulfed him was not meant for public, but he couldn’t find himself to care. His braids were undone and his hair was floating everywhere. He turned to look at the dog when it barked for his attention. In its mouth was a basket full of different sorts of soaps.

“Thank you.” He said when he accepted the materials. The dog bowed its head and started shuffling around to pick up Bofur’s discarded clothes.

Bofur sighed when he lathered the soap on his hair, creating foam that slid down his shoulders, back and chest. The heavenly aroma it created reminded him of flowery fields and a touch of rain. It easily relaxed him, causing his eyelids to become heavy.

A sudden splash made him jump. It was a wrong move to open his eyes when his hair was still slathered in foam. Some of it managed to enter. Hissing, he tried his best to rub it off, but the foam already inside wasn’t going to clear with his eyes closed. Holding his breath, he submerged his head completely and opened his eyes to dispel the dreadful, burning sensation. When he emerged he was met with a beautifully familiar sight that he was becoming just a _bit_ too familiar with.

A broad chest stood firmly in front of him. Tanned and soaked with lustful beauty. Without missing a beat Bofur looked up and caught the grinning smile of Fili.

“Enjoying yourself?” He asked with a tone that hinted he was interested in other things besides small talk.

Bofur made a noise in the back of his throat. _So unfair_ “I certainly was. Now, I’m enjoying the sight before me.”

Fili’s eyebrows rose high at his saying. For a moment he looked stunned, but he quickly wiped it away and crawled towards Bofur like a predator did for their prey.

Another all too familiar scene. The same reenactment from the river when they were still on the roads, but this time Bofur wasn’t an unwilling prey. He crawled back until he felt the rise of stone. He sat on it, causing the water to expose his chest. He anticipated it now. He gave the prince a look, waiting for him to do something while at the same time he unconsciously parted his legs.

The water still covered Bofur’s lower half, but it was clear enough to show the shadows of his legs moving apart, and something in Fili snapped. The simple, and not-so-innocent, act made him lunge and attack the miner’s lips. His hips fit perfectly between the older dwarf’s thighs, and when they wrapped around him there was no escape.

Breathless, he pulled back, which was now harder to do, and looked at the miner with half-lid eyes. “You will be the death of me.”

“No, it’s you who will be the death of me.” Bofur replied.

Fili pushed back with so much force that he unintentionally sent them falling. Thankfully, they were at the very edge of the water, resulting them to land with Bofur on his back to the stone and Fili right on top with both their chest’s touching. Legs were still wrapped around the prince’s hips, making it extremely hard for him to move, but it was all made worth it when their mouths refused to lightened up. Both on his _and_ Bofur’s part.

Of course it wasn’t going to last.

“Bofur? Fili? Are you in here?”

Bofur detached his legs and abruptly pushed Fili off. The prince was sent flying and landed ungracefully on the water, causing him to disappear momentarily. Bofur soon followed to hide his lower section.

“Bofur? Fil- Oh! There you are.” Bilbo marched up to them, completely oblivious to what had just transpired.

“Bilbo!” Bofur cried with a slightly higher voice than usual. “What can I do for you?”

“Actually, I came to bring you and Fili your temporary clothes. They’re a bit big, but they serve their purpose. Where’s Fili?”

“Here.” Fili emerged from the water. His hair was a mess and he looked thoroughly annoyed now.

Bofur cleared his throat. “Thank you, Bilbo. That’s mighty kind of you.”

Bilbo smiled. “No need for that. I’m happy to help. I’ll leave you both to finish now.”

Fili glared at Bilbo’s retreating back before slumping down the water in defeat. Bofur swiped and splashed water on him. “None of that now. Bilbo was just helping.” _And saving my hide_

Fili didn’t respond, choosing to glare at the ripples in the water.

An awkward silence fell on them until Bofur interrupted it. “So I’m done. I’ll be leaving now.” Without another word he walked to the stack of clothes their hobbit had left behind, but right as he reached down to grab them he felt eyes on him. With only one source he wasn’t surprised to see Fili looking at him like a slab of meat, but he did get embarrassed. Face flushing, he tried to glare at the prince. “Do you mind?”

“Not at all.” Fili grinned. “I daresay I’m enjoying the view.”

Bofur grumbled and bent his knees in order to pick up the clothing without practically presenting himself. Quickly, he put the new clothes on, which were huge and ridiculously loose, before running out of the place. Eyes following every step he took.

 

* * *

 

For the rest of the day Bofur remained hidden from the company. His hiding spot? He was on top of the roof of Beorn’s Hall.

Multiple, conveniently placed pillars that formed a small ladder was built on the side of the place. A very hidden side. No dwarf, hobbit, wizard, skin changer or animal bothered to search the spot, or bother searching for him, so he was left to enjoy his solitude. At least for a while.

Bofur looked up at the sky. The sun had been descending from sight for a while now, creating the blend of orange, red and yellow that replaced the blue. In his fingers he toyed with his flute, covering and uncovering the holes with the tune playing in his head.

There was a melody in his head that he was just itching to play. It had been nagging him since the moment he heard it in Rivendell. That beautiful, soft tone that blended calmly to make the night feel like a dream, it just wouldn’t leave his head.

He waited on the roof. Waited until the sun left the sky and everyone was sleeping peacefully in their beds. He didn’t want to risk playing the song with the high chance that someone could pass by and hear him. The song didn’t belong to him after all. It was considered rude to play someone else’s song without permission.

It took a while, but finally when the sun decided it was time to rest Bofur held his flute nervously and place it on his lips. He played a couple of notes to tune and a scale just to warm up before playing the first part. It didn’t sound exactly like he had envisioned in his head. He was playing by memory, and the tone was revealed to him by someone _humming_ it.

In his mind, the image of Fili resting with starlight illuminating his face appeared. The beauty behind the scene, the soft tone that made it a dream, Bofur wanted to witness that again. He wanted to hear the lovely song. He wanted to see the face of the young prince look so innocent and radiant again. He wanted to hold him close, and tell him everything he felt.

He stopped halfway through the tone, abruptly. What did he just thought?

_Tell him everything he felt._

_Oh, Mahal!_ Bofur covered his face snakingly. He couldn’t believe it took him this long to realize it. The conversation he had with Bilbo suddenly made much more since now.

_“True he won’t remember, and the company will probably agree to never speak of it again, but what about you?”_

He had dusted the concern like nothing. Never giving the thought of how he was going to be affected at all.

_“Don’t act unaware. I’ve been watching you. While I don’t understand what you’re going through I know for a fact that if this was happening to me I’d be a wreck of nerves. This kind of thing doesn’t just occur and leave no marks behind.”_

Fool. Fool! How could he have let this happen? It was one thing lusting over someone, but the thoughts he was having were nothing about lust. They were the last things about lust! They were about love. They were all about beauty and love!

Bofur found himself shaking even more. Fili forgetting this entire incident, forgetting everything he did that affected him. It hurt. It left a sharp feeling stabbing his chest, and it bloody hurt!

“I’m in love with him.” He whispered brokenly. “I’m in love with him.”

Nobody was around to watch Bofur’s breakdown. Nobody was around to see him shaking and crying. Nobody was around to hold him close and tell him everything would be alright.

 

 

He didn’t know how long his breakdown lasted, but when he finally gained enough courage to venture down and head for his room he knew it was beyond an unreasonable time.

The halls were completely empty. All the company was safely tucked away in bed and their hosts were sleeping peacefully somewhere in the home. Finding his room took a while but somehow he managed it, almost accidentally entering other’s rooms if it wasn’t for their insanely loud snoring.

The room was dark, completely dark. He shot his arms out in an attempt to feel for anything that he could accidentally run into, but it still didn’t stop him from smacking against the bed. Not bothering to see which side was the end with the pillows he crawled and sprawled himself all over it.

It was probably a good idea to check the bed in case something or _someone_ else was on it. He had nobody to blame but himself when an arm slithered around his waist and pulled him close.

“Bofur?”

The pain in his chest returned full force, stabbing him and threatening to rip his heart out. Fili’s face came into view as his eyes adjusted to the dark. The prince looked at him with a face full of concern, clearly wondering where he was the entire day.

Bofur took the moment of silence to just stare and study the prince. Study his eyes, the bluest he had ever seen, and study his nose, that wasn’t the biggest or the smallest to ever cross his eyes. He studied his lips, studied his golden hair, studied the wrinkles that were forming on his eyes, studied the braids that dangled over his mouth and studied the strong chin that was covered in fuzz that just made him want to run his fingers across.

The pain was overwhelming. It made it difficult for him to breathe and it made his stomach want to hurl the only meal he had that day.

The promises he made crossed his mind.

 

_“Do not allow Fili to go more than a kiss.”_

_“Do not encourage it, and do not use it.”_

 

He understood why they were worried. He would be out of his mind if Bombur or Bifur ended up under a spell and were trying to rip one of their company’s trousers off, but nobody seemed to realize they were worrying over the wrong dwarf. Fili would forget. Bofur wouldn’t. He wasn’t using the spell to his advantage. It was Fili who was using him. The prince wasn’t going to remember anything. Bofur was the one who had to live with the consequences.

 

_Then let me have it for one night_.

 

Bofur turned his body to face Fili. His eyes were full of determination and wanting. If he was going to suffer, he at least wanted to experience it for one night. Just _one_ , that was all he asked for. He wanted to know the warmth in holding each other’s arms without restraint. He wanted to remember those lips passionately claim him. He wanted the chance to feel the other inside. He just wanted it for one night before it was all taken from him.

Bofur held Fili’s face and pulled in him, claiming those delicious lips without hesitation.

 

_Just for this night. Let me know how it feels._

 

Fili, without a moment to lose, was on him in a second. He responded eagerly, adjusting himself as Bofur’s legs spread open and wrapped around. Bofur, it seemed, was in charge, edging and tempting him. Desperately wanting the prince to get the clue that he wanted more than what he was offering.

Fili pulled back, understanding on his face. “Are you sure?”

Bofur would have laughed. He really would have. He was presenting himself willingly, almost on the verge of begging. If that wasn’t an invitation that he was absolutely positive that he wanted it, he didn’t know what was.

“I want you.” He said brokenly. “I want you.”

And with the promise shattered Fili got to work. He couldn’t get rid of their clothing fast enough, and Bofur wasn’t making it any easier doing so. He was kissing Fili with his legs still wrapped around; making getting rid of their shirts a very difficult task. But when it was finally done Fili replaced Bofur’s lips with his chest, kissing a trail down, biting and licking his nipples and continuing the path until he reached the naval and stopped.

He looked back to Bofur, silently asking if he was unquestionably sure. Frustrated, Bofur reached down and started taking the remaining clothes off, undoubtedly telling him that he was sure and that if he didn’t continue he was ready to smack him silly.

Not thinking of asking again, Fili quickly got rid of his trousers and undergarments, leaving himself completely bare for Bofur to see. Upon the sight, the miner swallowed thickly.

The rest was a blur of sensation, noise, flushed faces and pain, _a lot_ of pain. They had no oil, nothing to ease the discomfort when Fili penetrated him with his first finger. The prince tried his best with what he had. Spit and a lot of pre-cum. He was also extremely careful to go slow, but with urges building up and Bofur begging to hurry there just wasn’t time to think about it.

By the third finger Bofur was squirming in pain and impatience. He pressed against the fingers, wanting the pain to subside, the pleasure to start and for something else to take their place.

“If I don’t go slow it will hurt you.” Fili groaned as his fingers got swallowed up again.

“I don’t care. I want you inside already.” Bofur leaned to kiss his mouth and pushed harder.

Fili took the kiss as an opportunity to retract his fingers and replace them with something else, something much bigger. Doing his best to distract the miner with kisses he adjusted his member and slowly pushed against the opening, causing Bofur to hiss.

“You need to relax.”

Bofur nodded, fighting back tears that threatened to fall. He took deep breaths, forcing his body to adjust when the member slipped deeper inside. He cried out when it became unbearable and Fili quickly pulled back, but he stopped him before he was fully out.

“Just… give me a moment..”

The prince nodded and waited for Bofur’s signal to try again. He pushed even slower than before. It was agonizing. The burning sensation, the tightness, all temping him to just push all the way in with one thrust, but he held himself back. By some miracle he managed to bury inside fully and stay in place. He throbbed inside, feeling the inner walls squeeze him. Squeeze for everything he had.

Bofur snatched his face again and kissed him. “Move.”

Fili complied, moving instantly, holding nothing back. Each of his thrust grew more and more on every turn, quickening in pace and getting them closer to that glorious moment.

Bofur groaned, moaned and did many un-dwarfish sounds that he didn’t know he could possibly do. Fili kept hitting spots inside that made him see stars, multiple, shining stars. His hands were everywhere, not having a clue what to do with them. He grabbed chunks of the bed cover, twisted the sheets, grabbed Fili’s shoulders, grabbed his hair, and grabbed his chest. Just anywhere he could put them on.

The sensation, the feeling, it was nearly everything he wanted. He engraved every second, engraved every sight. He was never going to see it again, and he didn’t want to forget any of it.

There was only one thing missing that could make the entire thing perfect and complete. Only one saying. Three little words they could say to each other.

“I love you.” Bofur finally whispered.

He had expected many things to happen when he uttered these words. Fili would look into his eyes and hold him tight. He would whisper the words back and kiss him to express all the emotions he felt. He would maybe, _possibly_ , shed a tear or two, knowing his (fake) feelings were returned. What he didn’t expect was Fili ending his movements, stopping inside and looking at Bofur as if he just revealed the secret of the entire world.

Fili looked at him, eyes wide and unsure. He frowned, unable to say anything or answer back. He didn’t dare move, didn’t dare to make a sound.

Bofur looked at him upset. “Fili?”

Whatever trance the young prince was on broke, and he began moving again, but something was off. Something was different. He didn’t look at Bofur for the rest of their coupling. He formed a distance and refused to hold him close. When Bofur tried leaning up to kiss him Fili abruptly moved away.

Bofur didn’t understand, and the once feeling of love he thought they were sharing in the beginning vanished completely.

They finished together, Bofur releasing all over his chest, Fili releasing inside him, and separated apart. They didn’t hold each other like Bofur had imagined they would. They didn’t share soothing words. The miner laid on the bed with the golden prince, but he felt lonely and completely empty inside throughout the entire night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried. This is my first ever sex scene, and with added emotions spewing everywhere? Bah, I was doomed to fail.


	11. Beautiful Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The expected confrontation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Early present! I give you the medicine to heal your broken hearts~ (Sorry if I ended up breaking it. It wasn't my intention, I swear!)

The next morning Bofur woke up alone on the bed. The feeling that shot in his chest from knowing Fili left him after sharing such an intimate and vulnerable moment was unbearable.

For a long time he refused to move. The thought of facing the company, facing Thorin and Kili after just breaking their promise last night, horrified him. How could he face them now?

And Fili.

He didn’t even want to think about that. The reaction he received from the prince was the _last_ thing he anticipated. He didn’t understand why he responded that way. The potion was supposed to make him obsessed and supposedly be in love. When the one you love tells you they love you you’re supposed to feel happy and overwhelmed, right?

Instead of happiness Fili reacted as if he didn’t want any part of the confession. He treated it like it was… a one night sta- No… did the potion work differently from what Gandalf explained? The blasted thing tempted its victim with love. Did Fili _love_ the idea of only using him? Using his body?

Then he had been right all along. It wasn’t a potion of love. It was _lust_. It had always been _lust_.  

Bofur covered his face and silently wept.  He felt hurt, angry, frustrated, and somehow he felt happy too. He knew it was a lie since the beginning, and yet he was still foolish enough to fall for it. But, for one night, he knew what it was like making lov- sharing lust with Fili. Even if it didn’t end like he wanted.

He stayed on the bed for a long time. The idea of facing everyone’s judging eyes discouraged him to even lift a finger, and honestly, he just didn’t want to confront the outside world. It hurt too much, but he knew sooner or later he’d have to get up.

The moment he did he grimaced at the evidence of last night’s activities, bringing heartbreaking memories back. But the call of cleanliness was far stronger. Especially consider the evidence was insanely sticky and was causing discomfort on his chest.

Getting off the bed proved too difficult, but jumping down on the floor proved to be the _worst_ action he could have ever done. Pain shot up his back, and cramps that he was too distracted to realize he had made themselves known. The first step was painful, the second near agonizing, the third, well, he just wanted to lie down and never get up. He dreaded the rest of the day.

Quickly, he put his borrowed clothes on and tried his best to hide the evidence and walk without revealing anything. Safe to say he was doing a poor job at it. The limping was just something he couldn’t avoid. He peaked out the door, making sure nobody else was present, before darting out and hobbling all the way to the stream he bathed in yesterday.

To his relief he found the place completely empty and dunked his body in. He scrubbed his chest down and avoided wetting his hair. The last thing he wanted was the company wondering why he took another bath after recently having one.

Once satisfied he dressed again and limped for breakfast. He surprised himself at how early he woke up when he saw the entire company, minus one, present and already eating. Nobody paid him any attention except his brother, cousin and Bilbo. The latter waved and smiled at him. Bombur studied him closely, no doubt noticing his limp, and he sent a silent prayer that his brother wouldn’t figure out what happened, but the odds were against him. The same went for his cousin. And if they didn’t figure it out with just his limp, making a face as he tried to sit down definitely gave it away.

He avoided eye contact with any of them. He didn’t want to see their trying eyes, and he didn’t want to be reminded of the rejection. If Fili had said something to Thorin or Kili, none of them were making it known. He didn’t feel seething glares nor did he have the sudden urge to run from getting his beard chopped off.

Fili wasn’t there, so breakfast went relatively smooth, and once he was done he couldn’t move fast enough to escape his family’s stares.

He also couldn’t hide from them either.

He anticipated the confrontation, but he didn’t expect getting trapped and feeling like an animal desperate for an escape when it happened. Both his brother and cousin cornered him in a room, blocking his escape and surrounding him with both concern and demanding eyes.

“Bofur,” His brother began. “did you?” _Of course_ his brother figured it out. It was just _too_ obvious.

Bofur cleared his throat awkwardly. This was _not_ something he wanted to talk to them about.

Bifur spoke up next. _“You are limping, cousin. Did you partake in an activity?”_

He blushed. “No! Of course not! Just because I’m limping doesn’t mean I- I did something. I sprained my ankle trying… trying to climb down from the roof!”

The looks his family gave him clearly showed they weren’t buying the lie.

“Was it with Fili?” Bombur suddenly asked.

Bofur nearly choked on his own spit. “N-no! I-I… never!”

“Brother, please. Tell us the truth. We’re worried about you.” Bombur’s voice sounded so hurt, so pleading that Bofur had no choice but to speak only truth. This was his brother and his cousin. They were worried for good reason.

Bofur sighed, hanging his head down in shame. Slowly, he nodded and used his hand to try and hide his face from embarrassment. It didn’t help. Strangely enough he felt like a dwarfling being scolded by his parents, or maybe an adolescent who was caught with his pants down because he couldn’t control his hormones. His situation was exactly _that_ , except he wasn’t an adolescent, he was an adult who apparently still couldn’t control his urges.

“So you did the act without even courting? You jumped the responsibility and decided to have a tussle for the night. What were you thinking?!” Bombur tried his best to keep his voice down, but the situation called for it. “Did you not even bother to think of the consequences?”

“I did!” Bofur countered. “I did think of the consequences! I just-”

“You just couldn’t control yourself and wanted to relieve your needs? Brother! There are other means to do so!” Bombur’s face started to flush from the anger and disbelief. “You can’t just go around doing this act, _especially_ you! On top of that, you took advantage of the prince! If Thorin, Kili or Dwalin found out we don’t know _what_ they will do. You’re basically asking to get executed!”

“Don’t you think I know that!?” Bofur snapped back. “Trust me, I _know_. I just- I can’t… I’m… weak, alright. I’m weak! I took advantage of him, I know it’s wrong, but I couldn’t-” He felt his eyes water up and he fought back the tears building. He was weak. _Pathetically_ weak. There, he admitted it.

Bombur was at a loss of words. “If you knew then why did you?”

Bifur, who hadn’t said a word since his question, studied him, studied the unspoken emotions and the reason behind it all. He stepped up, placed a hand on Bombur’s shoulder and stated, _“You are in love with him.”_

Bofur’s entire body stiffened and his stomach suddenly dropped. Bombur’s own body did the same and he stared wide eyed at his brother, waiting for confirmation and receiving it with a nod.

“Y-you’re… in love with him? But, it’s not real-” Bombur was cut off when Bifur jerked his shoulder and walked up to the distressed dwarf. Bofur was shaking now, and refused to look at any of them.

Bifur stood in front of him and opened his arms, beckoning for his cousin to join him for comfort, like he used to do when they were much younger. His cousin walked up and embraced the opened arms, feeling safe and secured almost instantly when they wrapped around him. Bombur joined after, surrounding them both and holding them tight.

 

* * *

 

Bofur was found on the spot from the previous day on the roof. He avoided everyone again, avoided questions and avoided stares. He looked up at nothing in particular. His mind was having a battle, desperately trying to forget but only succeeding in remembering.

A new thought crossed him after he was finished getting interrogated by his family. The reason behind his unexpected rejection plagued his mind and caused him to go into a panic. It nearly made him fall from climbing the ladder rashly in an attempt to escape from Thorin or Kili’s swords.

The realization that Fili might have been released from his spell last night while they were partaking in activities caused him to throw up. If that had happened, then Bofur was in deeper waters than he ever imagined. Fili came back on the absolute _worst_ time ever. Bofur might have ended up traumatizing him for life. Waking up to having sex with a member of the company he never showed any interest without a single memory? No wonder the lad reacted as so.

Now for sure Bofur had to watch his back. Fili most likely told the horrible incident to his uncle and brother, and for all Bofur knew they could be hunting him down this very second. He broke their promise and they were out for blood.

The sun faded from the sky and somehow he survived the day. There was no shouts, no demands to ask where he was hiding, no threats, and no search for vengeance.

Bofur climbed down and made his trip to the room, fearing every step and praying for his life. When he finally reached the door he ran inside and slammed it shut, wincing as the noise echoed around.

On his bed he was surprised to find a set of clothing, his own, folded neatly and waiting for him. Eager to get the oversized blankets off his back he stripped down. He managed to undress to his undergarments when a pair of hands suddenly grabbed him from behind. He spun in shock and nearly fell to the ground when he saw exactly whose hands the one grabbing belonged to.

Fili somehow slipped in without making a noise, or maybe he was already there and Bofur didn’t notice, either way he was standing too close for someone who had just been given the shock of his life, and Bofur had no idea what to do. The eyes Fili was giving him were not of disgust or betrayal, they were of _lust_ again. The prince was looking at him hungrily, and his body threw away all thoughts of morality and reason as his lower region grew alive.

His body remembered the touches, the sensations. It wasn’t enough. It wanted more, and Fili noticed this too.

Bofur didn’t know how it happened, but somehow he found himself on the bed and completely naked without a single act of foreplay, or given a chance to say no. There was no kissing this time, no soft touches. It was just getting straight to the act without a moment to lose. He was on his stomach. His chest rubbed against the fabric with his knees perched up, giving Fili the perfect view of his bottom. He hid his face on the sheets, trying to hide away. When the prince finally penetrated him his hiss was muffled by the material.

The pain from the night before came back full force and was only added when Fili sheathed himself completely inside. There was more pain this time around, but somehow Bofur still found pleasure in it and begged for more. His cries and moans were covered. His chest was rubbed raw. His legs were pushed to the limit and quickly gave in, causing Fili to press him against the mattress. The prince’s chest was touching his back. Bofur could feel his moustache tickling his shoulder, could feel the extreme heat and sweat trickling down.

Then, Fili did something Bofur wasn’t expecting.

He squeezed his arms in-between Bofur and the bed and held him.

The miner felt his chest flutter, momentarily, but Fili started moving and the feeling was quickly replaced with desire.

He couldn’t remember much after that. The morning was repeated and he woke up naked, alone and very much confused. If Fili was finally free from the spell the _last_ thing he was supposed to do was come to Bofur and repeat the night. The prince should be running away on the opposite direction, avoiding him by all means necessary.

On the bed he was still on his stomach, same spot and same position. He groaned in pain when he got his knees under him and lifted, shivering when it prompted his backside to _leak_ out Fili’s remnants.

_Inside again_

The day passed by relatively the same. He hobbled to the baths as quick as he could through the pain, scrubbed himself clean of the evidence, made it for breakfast with only Bombur and Bifur giving him stares and ran to his spot on the roof. It was becoming a routine now.

When he returned back for the night there was no sign of Fili. The prince never made an appearance throughout the night, nor the next day. He was apparently avoiding him for Bofur never once caught a sight of the golden prince.

For nearly a week this happened, and while it left him with heartache he knew it was for the best. Putting distance and avoiding each other was probably the best way to ease the pain when it was finally time to separate. It hurt, but there was nothing else he could do. He only hoped that their coupling didn’t leave any consequences on him.

 

* * *

 

It was the middle of the night when something disturbed Bofur’s sleep. He was groggy from it and his sight was beyond blurry, so when the image of a golden prince’s face made itself known the only thought that crossed him was _it’s a dream._

He studied the face intently. It has been days since he saw it, and it certainly felt like it. He almost couldn’t remember the beautiful details it carried.

“Bofur?” Dream Fili was hovering over him, his body enclosing him against the bed.

“Mm?” He mumbled. Bofur would have certainly enjoyed the dream more than he did now, but he was just too tired to actually think on it. His body, however, didn’t seem to notice his exhaustion and grew eager for the dream to continue. Without realizing it his body opened up. Legs spreading, arms opened and chest exposed. It was all stopped when Fili suddenly grabbed his face with both hands and yanked him forward slightly, causing him to wake up during the process.

“No. I’m not here to do this with you. We need to talk.” The prince said sternly.

Bofur’s chest was beating rapidly; not for the anticipated intimacy, but for the confrontation he feared he was faced with.

“T-talk?” Bofur squeaked. He prayed, _begged_ , for the entire thing to be a dream, but from the way the prince was looking at him, completely serious without a hint of mirth, he knew it wasn’t.

“Yes. _Talk_. Bofur I… I need to reveal the truth. You have a right to know, and it has been killing me keeping it to myself.”

Bofur certainly wasn’t expecting that. “Truth? W-what truth?”

“You said you loved me.” The miner’s heart sank at the words. Why would he remind Bofur of the rejection that happened? “I wouldn’t- _couldn’t_ respond back without you knowing.” Fili continued.

“Knowing what?”

Fili looked at him with such a serious face it made Bofur dread knowing exactly what he was talking about. There was no smile on his face, no hint of happiness in his eyes. “Bofur, I’m not under the spell anymore. I haven’t been for a while now.”

It took a long time for the words to sink in, and even longer for Bofur to comprehend. They repeated over and over, revealing the _true_ meaning behind them.

_I haven’t been for a while now_

Bofur’s heart was on the verge of exploding out his chest. His stomach dropped heavily and he couldn’t breathe. What did he mean _haven’t been for a while now_? Was he free long before they arrived in Beorn’s hall? Before falling into Goblin Town?

“S-since w-when?”

Fili looked guilty when he answered. “Since Rivendell.”

Bofur’s mouth dropped open. Since _Rivendell?!_ But, that meant that everything he did- All the words said after they left- The river, all those times they held hands after the stone giants, setting up their bedrolls next to each other, _telling_ him he _loved_ him! Fili was awake the entire time. It was _him_ , truly _him_.

He couldn’t find the right words to say. “Y-you, b-but, then… you were _acting_? This entire _time_? _Why!?”_ He flinched away when Fili tried reaching out to him. “Don’t! Don’t touch me. You _lied_ to me! You used the spell to fool around. How- _Why_ would you do that?!”

“Because I didn’t know what else to do.” Fili answered seriously. “I wanted you, Bofur. I wanted you so much, but I didn’t know how to act. You never showed any interest in me, but when the spell happened your attention was all I had. I thought… if everyone still believed I was under it, I could have you all to myself. I took the cowardly way, and I’m not proud, but then you said you lov-”

“ _No!”_ Bofur cut him off. “No, no, no, no! You weren’t supposed to _hear_ that. You weren’t supposed to _know_. You were supposed to _forget_ , why didn’t you?” He looked at the prince accusingly, tears already building up and the pain of betrayal growing stronger every passing second. “Why did you make me a fool?!”

_Why did you use me?_

Fili stood his ground. “Don’t act like you’re innocent here. Did you not use this to your advantage too? You _presented_ yourself while still believing the spell was active. You _encouraged_ it. You were using me too! You got what you wanted from me, hoping I was going to forget everything and never know. You are as guilty as I am-”

“ _Don’t_ make me the bad guy here! Because of you I had to put up with the king and prince under the mountain _threatening_ me on every corner. I had to put up the company’s teasing. I suffered everyday thinking this entire thing to be a lie and knowing that everything you did was all for nothing.” Tears were sliding down his face now. “I have _never_ been with _anyone like this_. I never showed interest, never _shared_ the intimacy like we did. I-” _I was never used_

The silent tension that followed was so thick that Bofur could have choked on it.

“Bofur,” Fili silently started, almost pleading. “did you mean it when you said you loved me?”

Instead of answering Bofur countered with a question of his own, through broken sobs. “Why did you still pretend? Why didn’t you forget?”

“Because I _want_ you.”

“ _No_ , you can’t _want_ me. You’re a _prince_. You didn’t even know who I was until we arrived in Bilbo’s hole. The potion forced you-”

“The potion didn’t do _anything_ except _make_ the feeling _stronger_.” Fili revealed.

Bofur was left speechless from the information. That couldn’t be right. “What? No, the potion was supposed to make you fall in love with the first person you see. Gandalf said-”

“Gandalf got the spell wrong.” Fili inched closer to him. “He did say the spell forced the one splashed to fall in love with the first person they see, but not this one. The elves in Rivendell revealed what it actually did. The spell didn’t _force_ , but rather _enhanced_ the feeling that was already there.”

The words slowly sank in Bofur’s mind. “Enhanced? But, than that means.”

“I was already attracted to you. The potion only strengthened that feeling.” Fili thought back to the first few days before they reached Rivendell. “I admit, the spell was too strong and made it an obsession. All my actions weren’t my own, but once the elves gave me something to lift it the feeling died down. It was still there, but it wasn’t as powerful.” Fili reached out to touch Bofur’s face, softly.

“I _still_ wanted you, even after the spell was lifted.” He continued and leaned near the speechless dwarf. “Please, tell me the truth. Did you really mean it?”

Bofur shuddered and closed his eyes, trying to back away as much as he could but Fili stopped him. “This isn’t real. This is just a dream.”

The soft kiss he felt against his lips certainly didn’t feel like a dream. He flinched when he felt the tenderness, nearly drowning him when it expressed hidden emotions, finally revealed. All the unspoken words kept in the dark until now.

“I love you.” The prince whispered against his lips and kissed him again. “I love you, Bofur. It’s the truth. I love you so much.”

Bofur began shaking. “Stop lying to me.” He choked out.

“I’m _not_ lying. _Please_ , believe me. I want you so much, Bofur that it hurts. I want you by my side every waking moment. I want to tell you how much you mean to me every day. I want the world to know how I feel about you.”

Silence followed after, Bofur refusing to respond.

Fili wrapped his arms around the shaking body, carefully. “Bofur… I- I wish to court you. If I may.”

The miner chuckled dryly against his shoulder. “It’s a bit late to ask that, isn’t it?” It pretty much was. They kissed, held hands, heck, they already _coupled_ in bed. Courting had no purpose at this point.

“Be that as it may, I want to do this right. I want to ask your family permission, and I want my own to know of the intention.”

Bofur stilled a moment. “W-will you be r-revealing the truth to them?”

“I kind of have to. Otherwise they will believe the spell is still talking.”

For a moment the miner felt sympathetic for the prince. He certainly didn’t want to be in his shoes when facing his brother, Bombur, or his cousin. On top of that, how was Thorin and Kili going to take it?

He was so glad to be himself at that instant.

“So, can I?” Fili brought up again.

“Can you what?”

Fili smiled and kissed him. “Can I court you? _Properly_ court you? No lies. No acting. All the honest truth.”

Bofur held his breath. Everything that had just happened, it couldn’t be real. No, it must be a lie. He was really dreaming, and the torturing delusion was giving him what he wanted only to laugh in his face. But Fili continued to hold him. He wasn’t vanishing, and he didn’t look to be under the spell.

He didn’t want to get his hopes up, but it was damn difficult _not_ to.

“Bofur?” Fili asked one more time.

Bofur shot his arms out and wrapped them around Fili, fiercely. “You can.” He said with only small traces of hiccups. “You can, you cowardly dwarf. You can.”

Even though he couldn’t see the prince’s face he could tell he was smiling, smiling against his bed-ridden hair. He also, quite possibly, felt small traces of moisture landing on his shirt, but through the darkness it was really difficult to tell.

Bofur tried his best to calm his breathing. “I love you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Props to the people still reading! I love every single one of you~!


	12. Permission and the Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fili asks Bifur and Bombur for permission and gets the shovel talk from the last dwarves he expected.

Bofur woke up to the arms of Fili wrapped tightly around him. The prince’s chest was pressed to his back. His chin was resting on his shoulder, golden whiskers tickling the back of his neck. Their legs were intertwined in such strange angles that it was a wonder why they weren’t in any pain.

_It wasn’t a dream then_ Bofur thought. Fili really had talked to him last night.

He sighed, feeling the happiest he had ever felt in a long time. The smile that crept on his face was impossible to stop. Both his chest and stomach were fluttering in high spirit, and he suddenly got the urge to giggle, and quite possibly blush, which he forced down immediately. He certainly wasn’t a love-sick adolescent, swooning every time Fili held him; well… he certainly wasn’t going to start behaving as such. He _might_ currently feel like one, but no way was he going to behave in that manner.

Fili began stirring awake, and for a split second Bofur feared for the worst. What if Fili decided to take everything back? What if it was _still_ all a joke? More acting?

“Bofur?”

The dwarf named shivered from the warm puff of breath that traveled down his neck. “A-aye?”

“Oh good, for a second I thought everything that happened last night was a dream.”

Bofur relaxed against the hold, his previous fear slowly fading way. The prince was still here, awake now and holding him. He wasn’t laughing. He didn’t make a move to reveal it was all an act. At least not yet, anyway.

As if sensing his inner turmoil Fili briefly squeezed the hold tighter. “I meant everything I said last night, Bofur. I want to court you and I will. You already gave me permission, you’re not escaping me.”

Bofur laughed good heartedly for the first time since the spell madness began. “I don’t think I can escape you even if I wanted to.”

The prince kissed a spot on his neck, puckering his lips to suck and nibble, causing Bofur to shiver. It was then that he realized something largely evident was poking his backside. Somehow he didn’t notice it when he first woke up, but it was certainly getting all his attention now. He jumped a bit when Fili shoved his hips, unexpectedly.

“Fili!” He cried out. He did _not_ want to do this, not at that moment at least. “Control yourself. We can’t be doing this, not when the company will be waking up at any moment. Fi- Fili! D-down! Stay down!”

Fili pulled his head back and barked in laughter. “Forgive me, it’s just that… you’re in my arms and I can’t help it. I want you. I meant it when I said I want you every waking moment.”

“You want _me_ or my _body_?” Bofur grumbled and slowly pressed his back side in retaliation, causing Fili to groan.

“You fight dirty.” The prince tightened his hold, halting the miner’s movements, momentarily. “I want _both_. I want _you_ and I want your body because it _is_ you.” 

Bofur gasped when Fili both kissed the same spot on his neck and thrust against him. “Is this going to be common in the mornings?”

“Only if you want to.”

From the way the bulge in Bofur’s pants was straining against the material, they both knew he wasn’t against it.

“Are you really going to ask them?” Bofur unexpectedly brought up. The conversation from last night returning in his mind.

“I am. I will do everything I can to convince your family to allow me. I would have done so sooner, but…”

“But…?”

Fili cleared his throat, a bit embarrassed. “You distracted me. I was going to speak with you the night after we… first coupled, but then you started stripping in front of my eyes and I…”

Bofur blinked. “ _I_ distracted _you_? I wasn’t doing anything except changing my clothes. You’re the one who ambushed and attacked me.”

“Can you fault me? You were already half naked when I looked for you, and having just had a taste, I couldn’t help it. I wanted more.”

The miner grumbled before saying, “Bombur and Bifur know already. About what we did.”

“What?!” Fili squeaked.

“I wasn’t doing a good job at hiding it. They noticed me limping and well…” Bofur coughed, changing the subject. “I’m surprised nobody else noticed it, honestly. Or maybe they did but they’re being subtle.”

“If that’s true then Thorin and Kili know as well. I’m surprised they haven’t spoken up about it yet.”

“I’m more surprised that I’m still alive.”

“I won’t let them hurt you. I’m the one most likely to get killed by your brother and cousin.”

Bofur nodded. “Oh, aye, that’s true. Keep a watch on your back with Bifur. Prince or no prince, he won’t hesitate.”

“That’s very reassuring.” Fili said sarcastically. “I’m glad I have your faith.”

Bofur smiled. “You have other things too, you know.” The arms around him tightened to signal understanding.

“I know, and I’m happy I do.”

 

~~

 

He might have been happy in the morning when he said all those things, but the moment Fili started walking down the path to find Bofur’s family he began panicking, and was beyond scared when he finally reached them.  

His hands were shaking, and his mouth was dry. He found them sitting together in a room, engrossed with whatever it was they were doing. Bifur was detailing a small wooden item, and Bombur was chatting (or more like gesturing) with him about meaningless things, or at least that’s what it looked like.

When Fili walked in their eyes instantly fell on him. For a split second the prince almost hightailed it out of there, but firmly stood his ground when he remembered he promised Bofur, and he was not about to start cowering again. He was a warrior! And warriors never run.

He cleared his throat and said, “I wish to talk to you both.”

Bifur studied him while Bombur raised an eyebrow. “Well you’re talking.”

“Right, well, uhm… I, uh.” _Fili you fool! Stop stuttering and spit it out already!_ “I wish to court Bofur, with your permission.”

Both cousin and brother looked at him unimpressed. “It’s a bit meaningless to ask for permission by now, since you both jumped ahead anyway.” Bombur griped and rolled his eyes while Fili blushed from the statement. “Honestly, I wish this spell would wear off already.” Bombur said to Bifur.

His cousin nodded and got back to work on the wood piece in his hand.

_Here goes nothing_ Fili thought and prepared to finally reveal the truth. “I’m not under the spell anymore.”

Bifur’s piece broke in his hand by sheer force and Bombur’s eyes snapped at him. Fili flinched and took a step back.

“Come again?” Bombur’s voice grew dark and Bifur began glaring.

“I said I’m not under the spell anymore. I really wish to start courting Bofur, with your permission of course.”

The round dwarf narrowed his eyes. “Tell me, since when have you been free?”

Now, Fili really did wish to run, especially when Bombur stood up with Bifur not far behind. Oh he was so dead! “S-since… since Rivendell.” In a blink of an eye, and before Fili had a chance to react he was forcibly slammed again the wall opposite to him, with Bifur holding him in place with one arm and glaring daggers.

_“Since Rivendell?!”_ Bifur shouted in Khuzdul, outraged.

Bombur stood behind his cousin, glaring just as fierce. “This entire time you’ve been _acting_?! Making my brother look and feel like a fool?! Tell me, what is your purpose in doing so? What do you hope to gain by humiliating him?”

“Nothing!” Fili squeaked when Bifur pressed harder against his neck, his forearm crushing the wind out of him and preventing him from regaining it. “I love your brother, I truly do! I admit, my actions aren’t honorable, but I didn’t know what else to do! Bofur never showed he was interested in me, but when the spell happened, suddenly I got all his attention. When the spell wore off I still cared deeply for him, but I was afraid that if everyone knew the truth then Bofur would ignore me and…” He was unable to finish when Bifur aimed a small knife to him.

“And why did you wait this long to reveal the truth?” Bombur demanded, not holding his cousin back one bit.

“Because Bofur… because he said he loved me. I couldn’t return the words back, not while he believed I was still under the spell. It would have been lies. I… I love your brother. I love him dearly and truly. I took the cowardly way, and it caused him harm, but I want to make things right. I _will_ make things right.” Fili’s voice grew serious. “I wish to ask for your forgiveness and your permission. I will do anything to have Bofur by my side. Ask for his hand in marriage. I-”

He was abruptly cut off by Bombur, who looked shocked. “You wish to _marry_ him?” Even Bifur looked a bit off at the sudden declaration.

Fili’s eyebrows furrowed. “Of course. I cannot see myself with anyone else other than Bofur. I ask for permission to do it properly, for traditions sake, but my mind and heart have already decided. I will have no other.”

Bombur and Bifur thought it over. Loosening his hold slightly, Bifur studied him for any signs of dishonesty. When he found none he asked in Khuzdul, _“Will you stand by his side, always?”_

Fili nodded. “I will. You have my word.”

Bombur looked unconvinced, but otherwise didn’t say anything against it. “If you hurt him, in _anyway_ , I don’t care if you’re the heir to the throne. I will _not_ hesitate to hunt you down, and neither will my cousin.”

Bifur pressed the knife closer to emphasize their point and slowly released his hold on the prince.

Fili rubbed his neck to sooth the feeling before nodding. “You have my word. The last thing I wish to do is hurt him more than I already have.”

They accepted it. “Good. You better take full responsibility. You have our permission.”

The prince smiled at them, “Thank you.” and walked out. The moment he was a fairy distance away from the room his legs gave away under him, shaking from what had just transpired.

He leaned back against a wall, resting his head and staring at the ceiling. He calmed his erratic breathing and soothed his shaken heart. All in all, he couldn’t stop smiling. He got what he wanted and nothing was going to stop him now.

He got up when he felt sure enough to walk again and dusted himself. One permission down, one explanation to go. Now, it was time to face his uncle and brother.

This won’t be fun.

 

~~

 

Lo and behold, it certainly wasn’t fun.

Just like Bombur and Bifur, when Fili informed them that he was going to start courting Bofur they rolled their eyes and mumbled for the spell to wear off soon. Even their reaction to the revelation he wasn’t under the spell anymore was the same.

They weren’t glaring, though, that was a good thing, right?

Kili looked at him. “You’re… what?”

Fili resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “I’m not under the spell.” Honestly, it wasn’t like he was whispering the words. Are dwarves (other than himself, apparently) incapable of understanding the first time they are told something? When Thorin repeated his statement he got his answer. Apparently not.

“How long have you’ve been free from the spell?” Thorin asked – no, more like demanded.

Fili rubbed his face, nervously. “Since Rivendell.”

His reactions came with Kili looking at him wide-mouthed and Thorin staring indifferently. _“Rivendell?”_ His brother repeated. “You’ve been free since _Rivendell_?”

“Why did you continue the foolish act?” Thorin demanded again. “What did you hope to gain from humiliating one of my company.”

“Nothing.” Fili answered for the second time. “I didn’t plan to humiliate him. I was being… selfish.” He admitted to them. “I wanted– _want_ Bofur. He didn’t seem to notice me until the spell happened. I used it to my advantage to have him all to myself. I took the cowardly way, and I’m not proud. I know what I did was wrong, but I _will_ to make things right again.”

Kili shook his head, a little disappointed. “You big fool. There were other ways to let your affections be known.”

Fili looked down in shame. “I know that now.”

Thorin studied him. “Have you asked his family for permission?”

“I have, they agreed. Bofur knows as well and allowed me.”

“Even after everything that has happened, he still has the heart to forgive you.” Kili spoke of the miner. “You are lucky, brother. If someone did that to me I would have chopped their beards off by now.”

Fili smiled, warmly. “I know I am, and I don’t plan to ruin my second chance.”

“Good!” His brother walked up and patted his shoulder. “Because if you did, I’m hunting you down myself, and I’m making it extra painful.” He smiled, innocently.

“Shouldn’t you be saying that to Bofur?” Fili asked, a bit surprised by the turn of events.

Kili hummed. “No. Bofur is too nice for his own good. He put up with your silly act and already forgave you. You’ve lost points with me, brother. You better watch your back and make sure not to hurt him more than you already did.”

Thorin walked up to them. “I agree with Kili. Bofur has suffered enough because of your foolishness. He is a good dwarf, and you better not do anything to ruin this chance he has given you.”

Fili gulped and nodded. “I don’t plan on it. I want him to stand by my side, and I in return.

His uncle raised an eyebrow. “You’re seeking marriage, then?”

“I am. I’ve already decided.”

“Taking responsibility!” Kili cheered. “Good dwarf. There might be hope for you yet.”

“In that case I approve.” Thorin supported. “Have you already asked his family?”

“I have, they approve as well.”

“That must have been fun.” Kili snickered. Fili rolled his eyes at him.

“Good, now go. Bofur is probably missing you.” Thorin tried to dismiss, but Fili remained in place.

“Actually, he’s resting right now. Hearing the truth last night really took its toll on him. Instead, we should have quality time as a family together, and talk about our feelings for a… certain hobbit.” Fili inquired and nudged Kili, who grinned when he caught the plan.

“Oh, aye, we should. How’s our burglar then, uncle? We’ve noticed you two have been getting along better now.” Thorin frowned at them, rolling his eyes at their antic.

Fili gasped, overdramatically, at the admission. “That’s right! You and our hobbit have even been… dare I say it, _spending time_ _together_.”

Kili raised a hand to cover his mouth, pretending to be shocked and doing a horrible job at it. “Brother! Could this mean-?”

“Our grumpy uncle Thorin has found someone to be interested in?” Fili finished for him. “I thought the day would never come!”

“Me too!”

Thorin decided enough was enough and walked away, shaking his head and looking finished with the conversation. “Dwarflings, I swear.” He mumbled loud enough for them to hear.

“Oi! We’re not dwarflings!”

“Kili might be! But I’m not!”

“Says the dwarf who acted immaturely!”

“And says the dwarf who doesn’t have a proper bea-” Fili was tackled before he could finish, landing on the ground with two distinct grunts, and followed by a battle involving hair pulling, punching and arm pinning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meaningless and pointless notes. I need more Fili/Bofur in my life! *Crawls around in agonizing pain* Am I the only one? Please tell me I'm not. *Inhuman screech* Is this healthy...?
> 
> On a brighter note, thank you all for the lovely comments and continuing to read. It makes me happy to know that you're still interested in this story~!


	13. An Announcement of Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marriage talk, spying and planning. They also leave Beorn's Hall.

“Your brother and uncle _threatened_ _you_?” Bofur repeated for the third time with a smile clear on his face. He was laughing, laughing in-between Fili’s hold and laying back against the warm, comforting chest. He looked up at the blue sky from their spot on the roof.

Fili kissed his neck. “Aye, they did, Kili especially. You’ve turned my family against me.”

“I did no such thing. If anything, it was all you.”

Fili made a trail of kisses across Bofur’s shoulders. “I know I did. I brought it upon myself and I will deal with it. It’s a small price if it means having you in my arms, though.”

Bofur sighed against the kisses, his chest and stomach fluttering with nervousness and security. “I still think they’re going to corner me.”

“They won’t. They like you, especially now since they know you put up with me and my stupidity.”

“Aye, you were fairly stupid. You could have just talked, you know?”

Fili rested his chin on the miner’s shoulder. “I know, I just… I didn’t expect to fall in love on this quest. What with reclaiming Erebor and the dragon, finding someone was the last thing on my mind.”

“And yet here you are, trapping me in your arms.”

The prince nodded. “Here you are, and I’m not letting go, nor do I ever plan to.”

The words made Bofur still, jumping when he understood their meaning. “You don’t mean-”

“I do.” Fili said seriously. “I want you, Bofur. I’ve said this plenty of times already. I don’t see myself with any other.”

“B-but, you’re young still, surely you want to go and see your other choices. I’m just a simple miner and toymaker, after all. You’re a prince.”

“So?” Fili simply said, leaving Bofur unable to respond. “I don’t care about your status, and if you remember I’m a prince without a mountain. I don’t care about my other choices. I have you and that’s all that matters. The only reason I’m not asking you to marry me now is because we’re barely starting the courting and because of the quest.”

Bofur was speechless and muttered words without even thinking. “You… sound so sure I’ll say yes.” He groaned and mentally scolded himself.

Fili flinched and loosened his hold. “I… I thought, well… I thought since you gave me another chance that you might actually consider it.”

“I’m sorry… I, that did not come out right. I didn’t mean to say it like that.” Bofur tried recovering.

“Than what did you mean?”

“You just… you sound so sure about this, about wanting me with you.” Bofur sighed.

“I am sure.”

“You’ll be stuck with me for a long time. I still have plenty years on me.”

“I can’t wait.”

“I’m a bad person to be locked in a room for too long. I kick in my sleep, I’m grumpy when I don’t get enough of it and I take up the entire bed. I always wear this hat, too.”

Fili turned his head and kissed him. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Bofur kissed back. “You say that now. Just wait, you’ll be running for the hills by the first month.”

Another kiss. “We’ll see.”

“And my brother and cousin too! We’re a disaster together.”

“I know.”

“Bombur has an entire herd of drwarflings that love to pull on your braids.”

“I can’t wait to meet them.”

“I’ll leave wood shavings everywhere.”

“I don’t mind.”

“I’m frisky when I get drunk, and can’t hold my beer at all.”

“I’ll make sure to have plenty of it.”

“I-”

“Bofur,” Fili cut him off, “is this your way of trying to say no to me?”

Bofur gave him a quick peck. “No, you silly dwarf. It’s just… I don’t want you regretting it… afterwards.”

“I’ll never regret it,” Fili nuzzled him, “but _you_ might.”

“Oh?”

“You’ll have to put up with Kili.”

“I think I can manage.”

“Also, Thorin’s glares.”

“That… might be a little harder.”

“You’ll also have to meet my mother, officially, one of these days.”

“Doesn’t sound too bad-”

“She is a fierce dwarrowdame that can make my uncle cower.”

“Right… I forget I’m dealing with Durins here.”

Fili kissed him again. “Did I scare you away?”

“No, well maybe a little, but I’m not running. I’m sticking in place.”

Fili squeezed him. “Is that a yes?” He asked carefully.

Bofur laughed and held his arm. “It’s a yes.”

 

~~

 

When the sun began to set in they decided to call it a day and head back inside the house. Heading to their room (Bofur’s room that became theirs now.) was met with nothing eventful until they reached a hall that had a number of dwarves peeking through a door. On the front of the huddle was Kili and Nori, who were struggling to see inside while also trying to push the dwarves leaning on them back.

“What is going on?” Fili asked when they reached them.

“It’s uncle Thorin” Kili said.

“He’s in there.” Nori supplied.

“And that’s a cause for all of you to stand outside trying to peek?” Fili stated.

“No.” Kili hissed. “Uncle is in there sitting next to Bilbo. They’re _talking_.”

That got Fili moving and before any of the dwarves knew it the golden prince had pushed them all away and took Nori’s spot. Sure enough, through the doors was Thorin sitting relatively close to Bilbo. Their knees were touching, Thorin’s fingers were twitching and Bilbo’s legs were swinging nervously. They were talking, actually no, scratch that, they were making small talk. They were small-talking about… their day, past events, dwarven and hobbit culture… and the meaning behind different colored flowers?

Fili’s mouth fell open, as did Kili’s. “Uncle is making…”

“Small talk.” Kili finished.

Bofur peeked through a small opening, a little surprised that Thorin and Bilbo were actually progressing to something. The dwarves behind them that were pushed away by Fili recovered and tried getting a glance by climbing over one another.

“I can’t see. What’s happening in there?” Gloin’s muffled voice came through.

“Thorin just patted Bilbo’s knee.” Dwalin answered.

“Is he making a move?” Bombur wondered.

“No, he just took his hand away. They’re both blushing now.” Answered Nori.

A dwarf sighed. “That’s so romantic.” Ori commented.

“Romantic? They haven’t even done anything. At this rate we’ll end up dying of old age and they _still_ wouldn’t have done anything.” Dori said.

Everyone nodded.

Completely unrelated, Kili decided at that moment to announce the good news to all the dwarves present. “By the way, Fili and Bofur are courting now.”

“What?!” All the dwarves, minus Fili, Kili and Bofur, toppled over and fell backwards, one on top of another.

“Is this _true_?”

“But Fili… is he still?”

“Congratulations! How wonderful.”

“This calls for a celebration!”

“First good news I’ve heard all day.”

Bofur chuckled as every dwarf tried to get up only to succeed falling down and making the pile worse. Fili was glaring at his brother and swatted him over the head.

“Really?” He asked, annoyed.

“What? It’s not like you were keeping it a secret, right?” Kili rubbed his head.

“Yeah, but couldn’t you wait for _us_ to announce it? It is _our_ news.” Fili frowned.

Kili pouted from getting hit but otherwise didn’t say anything. Dwalin, when he finally managed to dislodge Gloin’s foot, confronted them. “Is this true?”

Both Fili and Kili nodded. Bombur broke free and added on the side, “Fili asked us for permission already.”

“He did? And you allowed it?” Dwalin looked surprised.

Bombur and Bifur nodded. “He seems serious about courting him. As long as he doesn’t hurt Bofur we’re allowing it.”

Fili wrapped an arm around Bofur and kissed his cheek. “I don’t plan on hurting him.”

“But, isn’t Fili still under the spell?” Dori asked the question on all of their minds.

Those who knew the truth already shook their heads. “I’ve been free from the spell for a while now.” Fili admitted.

“Really?” Ori asked, smiling.

“If that’s true than why do you still remember?” Nori asked.

Fili shrugged. “Gandalf got the spell wrong. I didn’t fall in love with the first person I saw. It just heightened the feeling that was already there.”

“It did?” Kili and Bombur asked together, surprised. They didn’t hear that part of the confession.

“So that means… you already liked Bofur before the spell happened?” Kili mused.

Fili coughed, a bit embarrassed at having everyone’s attention and revealing personal things. Bofur was also embarrassed and blushed on the sideline. “I did.” Fili admitted.

“Well I’ll be,” Nori looked at Bofur. “you really nabbed yourself a prince.”

“Actually, I’m the one who nabbed him,” Fili smiled and held Bofur close, “and I’m not letting go.” He gave them each a stare.

Dwalin snorted. “You can keep him.”

“I will.”

“Does this mean,” Ori blushed when the attention fell on him, “does this mean that the marriage is real?”

Bofur covered his face and Fili blushed while everyone else grinned.

“I’m still in charge of the food!” Bombur said.

“I called décor.” Dori repeated.

“ _I have gifts._ ” Bifur said in Khuzdul.

“Still don’t recommend hiring me.” Nori confessed.

“I’ll keep an eye on him.” Dwalin said.

“Look! Now they’re both turning red!” Gloin pointed out.

“So, are they _both_ the blushing brides?” Kili teased.

Fili groaned and covered his face along with Bofur. “This is what you had to put up with?” He asked his now intended.

Bofur nodded, even though Fili couldn’t see it. “Exactly what I had to put up with.”

“I’m sorry I put you through this.”

“Fili, can I walk you down the aisle?” Kili asked with a laugh.

“What? No, Bofur is walking down the aisle and _I’m_ walking him down.” Bombur answered.

“ _I am the oldest. I am walking him._ ” Bifur fought back.

“Will you all stop!” Bofur said with his face colored beyond what was considered normal.

“They’re both definitely the blushing brides.” Someone last commented before two new presences made themselves known.

Thorin stepped through the door and looked at the gathering with confusion. “What are you all doing out here?” Bilbo peeked his head out, curiously.

“We’re planning Fili and Bofur’s marriage.” Kili said innocently.

Thorin raised an eyebrow while Bilbo smiled before frowning. “Marriage? But I thought Fili was under the spell. You aren’t marrying him against his will, are you?” He asked the dark-haired brother.

“Of course not! Fili is free from it.”

Bilbo looked surprised. “He is? But, why does he remember?”

Fili rubbed his head. “Maybe I should get everyone together and explain. I’ve repeated myself too many times.”

“Probably.” Kili agreed.

“Do it later. Right now focus on packing everything you need. We’re leaving in two days. Spread the word to those who aren’t here.” Thorin ordered.

“We’re leaving already?” Kili whined.

“Yes, we’ve lingered here long enough and need to get moving soon.”

Of course they needed to get moving soon. They still has a quest to complete and a mountain to reclaim, but the thought of leaving the comfortable and safe hall was still disappointing, and in a sense, almost heart breaking. All the dwarves sighed and departed to their separate destinations. Some leaving for their rooms, others leaving to living areas and a few leaving somewhere and doing something none of them wanted to know. Fili, Bofur, Thorin and Bilbo fell under the last category.

Inside Bofur’s room the named dwarf looked at the bed longingly. In two days they were to separate and return back to sleeping on the ground. He was by far going to miss the comforts of the soft bed and not have to worry about getting killed sometime during the night.

Bofur walked up to the bed and climbed, adjusting against the softness and sprawling all over it. His eyes were closed when Fili climbed next to him and he never anticipated the prince jumping on him, claiming his lips.

“Mm! Fili! Give me a warning first.” Bofur cried and tried to calm his frantic heart.

Fili smiled innocently. “I will keep in mind the next time I jump you.” He crawled over him and straddled Bofur’s hips.

The miner’s eyebrows rose. “You want to do this _now_? We’re courting, remember?”

Fili sighed and leaned down to kiss him again. “I know. Thorin announcing we only have two days left made me realize I don’t have much time to keep you all to myself.”

Bofur laughed. “It’s not like we’re separating. We’re still traveling together.”

“But we’ll be walking the whole time, and hunted down by orcs. It hardly gives me a moment to hold you in my arms.” Fili wrapped his arms around Bofur and hugged him.

“Are you deprived for affection or something?” Not that Bofur was complaining. He won’t admit it, but he’s a fan of cuddling.

“Maybe,” Fili teased, “want to help me sate it?”

Bofur smiled, broadly. “Don’t mind if I do.”

For the remainder of the night, Fili and Bofur were occupied with each other by means of cuddling, holding and kissing. When did they fall asleep? They had no idea, but when they woke up, in each other’s arms, happy, giddy and feeling warm inside, they didn’t complain. And this was how they continued.

The company had to put up with watching them make loving eyes at one another, and if Dwalin, Bombur and Kili were to tell you, it was nearly sickening at how sweet they looked together. Ori was probably off to the side writing poetry about them and their ‘true love and blossoming romance.’ Nori could only handle so much and tried his best to avoid the sight. The elders, Balin, Oin and Dori, were hardly affected and simply rolled their eyes or smiled at their ‘childlike romance.’ Bilbo, like Ori, found their affections romantic, especially considering how he knew before everyone else Bofur would end up falling in love with the prince. Now, he was just happy that his friend managed to get what he wanted. Thorin, for the most part, ignored them both, choosing instead to focus on their burglar. The rest were neutral, neither caring nor paying much attention.

For two days they all had to put up with this (actually, more like Dwalin, Bombur and Kili had to put up with it) until finally the time came to depart from Beorn’s Hall. Their supplies were replenished, their spirits restored and their bodies rested. They left the place in high spirits and a bit of longing from having to leave behind the comfortable beds and honey bread.

With Beorn allowing them to borrow ponies they managed to reach the entrance to the elven road that crossed through Mirkwood near sundown. They lost their high spirits the moment they studied the forest. The way they twisted across from each other and the way the trees themselves managed to give a horrible vibe of dread that was never meant to be given by the creations of the green lady nearly sent them running to the opposite direction.

Bilbo looked at the trees and grimaced. “This forest feels sick.”

None of the dwarves needed to be experts to know the forest was not normal. It was ill, that was evident enough from the gloomy appearance and lack of sunlight.

The situation was made worse when Gandalf revealed he was not going to join them through. He mentioned heading off to check something and simply marched away without another word besides warning them to, “Stay on the path!”

Stay on the path. Simple enough, right? They can cross through and make it out in no time. How long would it honestly take?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What I define as dwarven courting.   
> Courting is like dating, meant for the two interested to get to know each other and tell others to keep their hands off.   
> If the courting doesn't work out at the start, they can end it and leave on good notes.   
> If it does, they continue until they reach the talk of marriage. 
> 
> Halfway through the courting is the point where abruptly ending it causes dishonor/disgrace/ect. It just can't be done without someone getting hurt.
> 
> In the beginning the only things allowed are innocent actions (holding hands, kissing, ect). There can't be any sexual activity here.  
> Half-point, they can start getting it on as long and as much as they want.  
> Near the end they put a ring on it and are stuck with them for the rest of their days.  
> (In case your curious~)


	14. Paralyzed In Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Mirkwood, the Hall and future congratulations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The moment that will lead to the moment I've~ been waiting for! Yay~!

Bofur was in a horrible mood and promptly tripped on another tree root for the sixth time that day.

“Where are these roots even coming from?!” He shouted. He was annoyed and downright tired from all the walking they had just done and still needed to do.

The company ignored him, deciding to worry about their own problems instead of paying any mind to him. Fili tried his best to give him a smile, but even from the lack of light Bofur could tell it was strained. They were all irritated, exhausted and on the verge of lashing out if someone made a wrong move. The forest itself was no reason to be cheery, either.

They had been wondering for some time now. How long? He could not say. The dark forest made it difficult to tell day from night or what time it currently was. Have they been traveling for hours? Days? For all he knew they could have been traveling for weeks now. It certainly felt like it. Their food rations were almost entirely gone, and the exit was still a distance away and didn't look to be coming up soon.

Tripping for the seventh time that day Bofur released an assortment of different cursed words in Khuzdul and punched the ground out of sheer anger. It didn’t help any. He was tired, but he didn't know how tired until he noticed the ground looking really soft and comfortable. The temptation to rest his head and fall asleep was strong, but he was stopped by a hand grabbing his arm and lifting him back up. Fili patted him down and dusted off the specks of dirt that clung to his clothing.

“I wouldn’t recommend sleeping on the ground here while everyone kept marching off.” Fili smiled.

Bofur sighed. “Can’t we take a break? I’m so tired I might end up falling asleep while walking.”

“You can still make a few leagues more.” Fili grabbed his arm and led him forward, following after the company who had gained a distance from them.

Bofur looked on in confusion. Had he been walking behind the line the entire time? He couldn’t quite remember. “Why do you lot still have energy to walk?” He suddenly blurted. “I’m close to crashing here.”

Fili frowned at him. “Why are you so tired? We haven’t even made that much distance.”

“You’re not tired?”

“No.”

“Then I’m getting old.”

“You’re not getting old. Balin and Oin are older and they still have energy to keep going.” Fili looked at him. “It’s just you.”

“Huh.” Bofur looked at nothing interesting on the ground, thinking it over.

Fili watched concerned for a second. “Are you coming down with something?”

“What? No, no, I don’t feel like I am. It’s probably just the forest. It’s been giving me a foul mood all day.”

The prince nodded. “The tree roots?”

“Bloody tree roots.” Bofur mumbled.

They continued onwards. The forest going on for what seemed like forever and the company’s mood growing angrier with every step. Even Bilbo, the gentle and calm hobbit that he was, snapped each time someone bumped into him. Thorin was not much better. He was on the front, trying his best to continue following the path, but with half of it missing and the other half covered in dirt, he was bound to lose it. It was only a matter of time.

And that time came too soon. The path vanished, their mood dropped, their irritation reached its limit, and the only thing missing was fighting against each other. And right on cue, shoving and pushing started amongst them. Bofur was grabbed by his arm and pulled back. He was about to retaliate when he spotted exactly who pulled him. Fili had grabbed him and stood in front, blocking any of the other dwarves from striking him. The prince also grabbed and shoved his brother behind, fighting against Ori and then Nori when they tried striking them.

They were so focused on bloodying the other’s nose that none of them noticed something crawling above them, and when they finally did it was too late. Bofur felt a pinch on the back of his neck and he was knocked out before he could even grab his mattock.

 

~~

 

Waking up covered in webs was the last thing Bofur expected to happen on that day. He was disorientated, groggy, moving proved to be too difficult, he was sick to his stomach and was about to throw up on the spot. He ran to the nearest tree the moment he could, nearly falling when he made a turn too fast and emptied his stomach. He grimaced when he ran out of contents to throw up and began to dry heave, unable to stop or control himself.

“Bofur?” A voice called behind him, but Bofur ignored them and the hand that was placed on his shoulder for comfort.

He continued to heave almost to the point of throwing up his own lungs. It took too long for it to calm, but when it did his knees gave in and he dropped to the ground.

“Bofur? Are you alright?” Bilbo rubbed circles on his back. It was relaxing and it seemed to be doing something. His stomach didn’t feel as bad and he managed to breathe.

“’m fine. What happened?” Bofur mumbled and clutched his stomach.

“Spiders,” Bilbo answered, “giant spiders came down and paralyzed you all. I managed to distract them long enough to free you but I fear we’re running out of time. They’ll be back soon. We need to free the others.”

Bofur nodded and got up. He nearly toppled twice trying to regain his balance and ended up using Bilbo as support. When he looked around he understood what Bilbo meant. On the ground was the rest of the company, covered and cocooned in spider webs.

“I’ll take this end, can you handle the other?” Bilbo cautiously loosened his hold on him, making sure he didn’t fall on the spot.

Bofur wobbled a bit but otherwise succeeded standing up on his own. “I got ‘em. We better hurry up.”

One by one the company was released. They all woke up as confused and groggy as he did but none of them ran to the nearest tree and threw up. It confused him how he was the only one to react as such. He didn’t have time to dwell on it, though. Off to the side he spotted the golden curls of Fili and he wobbled over to him, still dazed from the spider’s poison.

“Fili?” He called and started ripping the webbing off.

Fili stirred but otherwise didn’t say anything.

“Fili!” Bofur tried again and relaxed slightly when the prince answered back.

“Mm, B’fur?”

“Aye, come on. I need you to open your eyes.” Fili did. His eyes fluttered open slowly and he looked dazed.

He gave Bofur a frown before asking, “What h’ppened?”

“Spiders.” Bofur simply answered. “You need to get up before they return. The rest of the company are already awake.”

Fili nodded and tried lifting his body. Bofur helped him stand and kept him balanced on his feet but nearly fell down trying to do so.

“Bofur?” Fili wasn’t slurring anymore. “Are you alright?”

Bofur blinked. “I was just paralyzed just like you, but otherwise, yes I’m fine.”

“You look… rather pale.” Fili admitted.

“I do?”

The prince nodded.

“I feel fine, Fili. Now’s not the time to worry about me anyway. We have giant spiders after us.” Bofur said.

Fili looked about to argue but couldn’t say anything because the sounds of something crawling along the webs started and crept closer and closer.

A distance away Thorin’s voice echoed, “Prepare to fight!”

Fili and Bofur separated and made for their weapons lying on the floor, but before Bofur could even grab it his body suddenly collapsed. He fell to his knees and then to his chest, smacking the ground with his face. He was still conscious enough to hear the company shout different words before everything went black.

 

~~

 

Waking up for the second time, Bofur didn’t know what to expect. At first everything was too dark that he thought his eyes were still closed, but when he blinked multiple times that thought was quickly dropped. After a while he began to take in the details through the darkness. There were walls around him, made of stone and built to keep someone inside.

He was lying on something, lying on a bed that was placed on the far end corner of the room. Somewhere on the front was a caged door that allowed a bit of light to shine through. Slowly, he got up and walked carefully to it. Nobody else was with him, and he had no idea what could have happened to the company. He remembered spiders returning and Thorin shouting orders to fight, but other than that his mind was completely blank.

He grabbed hold of the bars and shook them. _Locked._

He shook harder but the door wouldn’t budge.

“H-hey, hey!” He shouted, hoping somebody, _anybody_ heard him. “Anyone there?”

His question was answered when a tall form, an elf, appeared in front of his door.

“You’re finally awake.” The elf, a she-elf from the sound of her voice, said.

Bofur was taken back. Of all the creatures that could have captured him the last he expected was an elf. What did they want with him? “W-where am I?”

The she-elf studied him. “You are in Lord Thranduil’s Hall. You were trespassing and got attacked by spiders. You were unconscious when we brought you here. Your comrades will be happy to hear you are awake now.”

“Comrades?” Bofur repeated with relief. “So they’re here too?”

She nodded. “They are, and they have been asking for you. The one with golden hair in particular.”

His heart leaped with joy. Fili! Hearing that he was here and safe lifted a weight off his shoulders. “Has a rounded dwarf and a dwarf with an axe on his head been asking about me too?”

She nodded again. “They have been especially worried.”

Bofur sagged with relief against the door. His family was here too and alive.

Without another word the she-elf turned and walked away, leaving him alone to ponder how on middle-earth they were captured by the elves in the first place or how they were brought to the Elvenking’s Hall.

He sat next to the door and leaned on the wall. While the accommodations weren’t exactly the best he had to admit it was a lot better than walking through the forest with every nerve on his body on edge. On top of that, he wasn’t as tired anymore!

He sighed and leaned back his head. He rubbed his stomach when it made a grumbling sound and he suddenly realized how hungry he was. _How long have I been out?_ He wondered.

“Bofur?”

Bofur nearly jumped out of his skin when the voice of Bilbo came out of nowhere. He looked around in fright and spotted no one. “B-Bilbo?”

“Yes it’s me.” Bilbo appeared from what seemed like thin air and smiled warmly at him. “I’m so happy to see you’re awake. We were starting to worry about you.”

Momentarily forgetting that Bilbo magically appeared in front of him, Bofur leaned closer and asked, “We?”

“Bombur, Bifur and Fili have been worried sick, I as well. You weren’t waking up and didn’t look to be.”

Bofur frowned. “How long was I out?”

“Four days.”

His mouth dropped open. “ _Four days?_ No wonder you all got worried.”

Bilbo nodded. “Fili wouldn’t stop bothering the elves about you. He demanded and even pleaded for them to check if you were still alright and tell him how you were.”

“He _pleaded_?”

“Of course. He really cares about you, so much that he ignored the feud between dwarves and elves just to know if you’re safe.”

“I…” Bofur was left speechless, “I don’t know what to say.”

“I better go and tell them the good news. They might end up actually getting sick from worrying so much if we keep it from them longer.” Without another word Bilbo vanished from sight and left Bofur to wonder how exactly the hobbit even managed to pull it off.

It mattered not when his stomach made itself known again and demanded food. As if on cue another elf appeared through the doors and pushed very unappetizing assortment of foods. Bofur made a face at the selection, but now was not the time to be picky. His stomach demanded food and made the decision by giving Bofur a sharp stab of pain. He reached out for the only thing that he felt he could stomach in defeat. Because it had been days since he last ate the bite of bread tasted like glory in his mouth. He finished the first piece in no time and went to tackle the last.

Midway through the slice his stomach decided it didn’t agree with the food after all. It gave another sharp pain, not of hunger this time but of revulsion. He didn’t even have enough time to call an elf and bring him a bucket. He quickly threw up everything on the tray given with the food and continued when he was completely empty. The sound of his dry heaving attracted ears and two elves appeared before him while his head was still down.

He could vaguely hear them talk amongst themselves in another language, but on each heave the sound was blocked off. It took far too long for him to stop that he could have sworn he was going to pass out from the sheer force his stomach was making. When he _did_ finally finish the feeling was Mahal sent.

He looked at the two elves, blurry from his eyes watering during his body’s reflexes. He managed to distinguish one elf, the same elf from earlier that came to check up on him. She was looking both concerned and disgusting at his display, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. He felt the absolute worst at that moment. He groaned and closed his eyes to try and calm the pain his stomach was shooting and prevent his head from exploding.

There was shuffling besides him but he didn’t bother to move. It hurt to move, his head was pulsing and his hands were shaking. He didn’t even want to know how he currently looked. There was talking before a set of footsteps walked away, muffling from the distance. After sometime a second pair of footsteps left, leaving him completely alone and miserable.

 _“Thank goodness Bombur or Bifur weren’t here to see this”_ Thought Bofur. _“Or Fili for that matter.”_

The pain was settling down now, but refused to completely disappear with the occasional stab and pulse. He only hoped he would get better soon. He hated feeling sick.

 

~~

 

He didn’t get better. In fact, he got worse as time went on.

Food wouldn’t stay down. He ended up just throwing it all back up, and then it spiraled to the point where he couldn’t even bite the bread given. Just looking at it sent him to a heaving mess.

The red-haired, she-elf was always there when it happened. She studied him intently, looking for signs of his illness. She would always ask how he was fairing and if there was anything specific he needed to help ease the pain. Bofur always asked her for water. It seemed to be the only thing he could stomach and it helped cool the feeling down.

The she-elf wanted to help. Bofur could tell from the way she looked each time he was sick, but she couldn’t do anything outright. Instead, she would stand by the door each time the occurrence happened (which was becoming too often now) and remain with him until the painful feeling subsided. Bofur, after a while, gained comfort from her presence. He was alone in the cell with nobody around to tell him soothing words or rub his back, so the elf was as good as he was going to get.

She was actually great company when they got around to talking. She had passion and dreams and a strong sense of duty. Whether from guarding the dwarves in their cells or serving the Elvenking, Bofur didn’t know, but seeing the determination was refreshing. After a while he even managed to get her name, Tauriel, and learn that she had made a sort of friend with another dwarf, a beardless dwarf that Bofur could only guess was Kili.

Thorin was going to have a field day with that.

Days continued, their strange friendship grew while his condition worsened. According to Tauriel he had gotten paler, very much thinner, and just looked like a downright mess. Bofur couldn’t even crack a joke about it, speaking was starting to hurt, and now that he mentioned it breathing was also getting there. Moving was becoming nearly impossible. It was as if his body was paralyzing on the spot.

And Tauriel noticed it too, but she couldn’t do anything.

Unless the prisoners were dropping dead on the floor she was not to offer any assistance or provide medical help. She grew irritated watching the kind dwarf, Bofur, grow weaker and weaker. She wanted to help, but the sickness he carried was something she had not witnessed yet. Her frustration grew when searching and asking questions from master healers proved to give her nothing for her effort. She only had limited knowledge by symptom facts. She needed to get the dwarf out and examine him properly to even get started on how to help him.

Her chance came when she made her daily trip to visit and found the dwarf _unconscious_. He made no effort to move and didn’t respond when she called his name. Bofur was near death’s door, according to her king that was enough reason to get him out and examined.

She jumped into action, ordering other guards to open the door and carry the dwarf to the healers’ chamber. She made sure to avoid taking a direct path through the cells to prevent the other dwarves from catching a glimpse of their fallen comrade. The last thing she wanted was to cause an uproar at their neglect to keep their friend healthy. She also didn’t want Bofur’s family and Kili’s brother, Fili, to catch the sight of Bofur’s unconscious form to be the last possible thing they ever see of him.

Tauriel barked orders the moment they entered the chambers and sent all the elves running to prepare what they needed. One healer remained relaxed and gestured for the elven guards to place the dwarf gently on an examining table. The two guards bowed and excused themselves, leaving Tauriel alone to stand on the sidelines and watch the healer hover their hands over the lifeless body and mutter words.

There was nothing else she could do, so she stood a fair distance away and kept an eye out for any curious souls daring to enter. There was none, but she had to keep herself busy somehow.


	15. News for Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bunch of barrels and congratulations are in order.

Bofur really needed to stop waking up in different locations with pain. It was starting to mess with his mind. His surroundings were different from the times he woke up in the cell. It wasn’t confined with little space. It was actually quite large, and it had giant tree branches that passed for stairs circling around. It would have been a refreshing sight if he wasn’t in slight agony and had his head threatening to explode.

“You’re finally awake.”

Turning his head abruptly was probably the biggest mistake he could have made during that time, but turn he did and his sight was attacked by black spots, momentarily.

“You shouldn’t move. You’re still in no shape to get up.” The voice, it belonged to Tauriel.

Bofur groaned and mumbled something under his breath.

“How do you feel?”

“Like I had a hammer come down on my head multiple times.” Bofur replied and rubbed his temples. “What happened? Where am I?”

The black dots disappeared and Tauriel’s face became clear. She was looking at him with concern. “You are in the healer’s chamber. You were unconscious and so I brought you here to look you over. Your sickness was more than we believed.”

Bofur managed a smile. “Did I catch a bug? Maybe it was a spider bug.”

She shook her head. “No, while the spiders had a part on it, it was your own body that was fighting against you.”

Bofur frowned. “Oh? I know I don’t take care of myself, but I don’t think I’ve mistreated it to the point it wants to fight against me.” He joked, but it was received with a grim look.

“Tell me, are you aware of your body’s current state?”

Bofur swallowed. “Not exactly, no. I just thought I caught a bad case of a stomach bug, or something.”

“It was not a stomach bug. The poison the spiders used on you tried to paralyze you both.” Bofur stilled, but Tauriel continued. “While your body managed to recover from the temporary paralysis, the poison attacked another and your body didn’t know how to flush that part out. In its attempt to recover your body was causing harm to both you and your…” Tauriel trailed off, unsure whether she was the right person to break the news.

Bofur’s mouth was dry and his heart was beating frantically. _Tried to paralyze you **both**?_

His eyes were wide and his mouth was open. _Surely she couldn’t be implying… but, what were the odds?!_ _They had only done it twice! **Twice**! Dwarves weren’t supposed to be **that** fertile!_

His mind began racing. “Both me and my…?” He had to make sure, absolutely sure! Maybe she was suggesting something else. For all he knew she could be suggesting his hat!

Tauriel cleared her throat. “Both you and your… child. You are pregnant.”

His world crashed down. The foundation, the walls, the pillars holding it all in place, it was nothing against the words she had just said. _Pregnant._ _Pregnant!_ He was _pregnant_ , bloody _pregnant!_ This could _not_ be happening.

Suddenly her explanation about the spider’s venom made more sense. He panicked at the thought. “Is the… the venom, did it…? Is the child…?” The word was so foreign. He could not believe he just said it.

Tauriel quickly answered. “Your child is fine. We brought you to the healer just in time. Any longer and…”

Bofur nodded and swallowed. Oh Mahal, he was actually with a child! How was he going to tell Bombur. How was Bifur going to react? Suddenly his panic worsened. How was he going to explain this to Fili?!

“You must remain calm.” Tauriel walked closer to stand next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Stress is not good for you right now. You and your child are still recovering.”

Bofur gave a dry laugh. “Forgive me for saying, but stress is all I can do right now.”

Tauriel didn’t respond, instead she simply began rubbing circles on his shoulder and sat on the edge of his bed. After a moment, Bofur’s breathing calmed down enough for her to state, “You were not planning this.”

Bofur took a deep breath. “Not at all. Never once did it cross my mind to plan it. Never thought I’d actually end up… I mean, the odds aren’t really in our favor.” They really weren’t. It was a blessing when the news of Bombur’s wife came about her pregnancy, and the only explanation of how she managed to have _four_ dwarflings and also have a _fifth_ one on the way was she had Mahal himself watching over her.

“Odds?” Tauriel repeated, genuinely curious.

“I shouldn’t be talking to you about this.” Bofur mumbled more to himself than anything, but Tauriel, with her elven ears, still heard it. “Why are you curious, Miss Tauriel?”

Tauriel hummed. “I admit I’m not sure myself, but this matter involves you. You are a kind dwarf, Mister Bofur, and I find myself wanting to help you.”

“And this has nothing to do with Kili?” Bofur grinned, laughing when Tauriel coughed but otherwise said nothing else on the matter.

“I am also… curious.” Tauriel continued. “Children are a rare sight amongst my kin, and anything related peaks our interest. I do not wish harm on you or your child.”

Bofur studied her, looking for any sign of dishonesty or plot to backstab and accepted her answer when he found none. “Dwarf children are a rare sight to us as well, or any kind of children, honestly. My kin isn’t known to be… fertile, and every child is a blessing. I just… I didn’t expect to end up… pregnant so easily.” He admitted.

“You did not think it possible?”

“I knew I was capable, I just didn’t expect for it to happen this soon.”

Tauriel thought it over. “So this child… was unplanned?”

A sense of shame and embarrassment washed over him. “Something like that. An accident, if you will.”

“I do not think them to be an accident.” Tauriel said. “I believe them to be a blessing, just as you mentioned.”

Bofur was not expecting for her to be so defensive on the subject. It was surprising seeing a side to her, considering she was an elf and they were supposed to hate each other. He felt his chest grow warm from it, a good sort of warm.

He put on a weak smile. “Aye, they are a blessing.”

Another thought crossed Tauriel’s mind. “Am I safe to guess that the child belongs to Fili?” Apparently, speaking with Kili gave her some knowledge of the company and she managed to figure out (or Kili told her) who exactly Fili was courting, or Bofur in turn.

Bofur blushed instantly and coughed a few times. “A-aye.” He squeaked and hid his face.

Tauriel smiled and made to get up. “I am sure he will be happy to hear the news.”

The panic came back and Bofur quickly grabbed her arm. “You can’t tell him!” Tauriel jumped back in surprise but he kept his hold. “Please, you can’t say a word. He already has so much to worry about I don’t want him worrying about this.”

“But he has a right-”

“I know he does! I just… I don’t know how he will take the news.” Bofur admitted sadly and looked down.

Tauriel studied him. “You believe he…?”

“He might not want it.”

She frowned. “Then he is a fool.” Bofur looked up at her. “All new life is special and an honor, if he wants nothing to do with the child than he does not deserve them.”

Bofur did not have tears building in his eyes, he did not! It was something else entirely, but never mind that. He gave Tauriel a thankful smile. “Still, can you not mention it? Mention any of it to anyone? I’ll tell him, all of them, when I’m ready. Just… not right now.”

Tauriel nodded in understanding. “I won’t say a word.”

“Thank you.”

Tauriel sighed and got up. “I will need to take you back to your cell.” She said, regretfully.

“Right, can’t have prisoners running around now.” Bofur slowly got up with Tauriel’s help.

“Is there anything you need for your pregnancy?” She suddenly asked when they were halfway to his cell.

“I’m not sure, exactly. I’ve never gone through it and never bothered to ask those who did.” Oh, how he wished now he had asked Bombur’s wife. It would have eased his mind knowing the basics.

They were outside his cell now. Tauriel opened it and Bofur walked inside without a fight. “I am sorry there is not much else I can offer to help.” She said to him. “Do you believe you can stomach food right now?”

“It’s alright, you’ve helped me plenty. If it wasn’t for you I’d probably be lying unconscious still and rotting away by now.” He joked and puffed up in pride when he earned a grin from Tauriel. “I’m not sure I can stomach things right now, but I could try.”

“I will bring back something small then.”

“Thank you.” Bofur said, sincerely.

“Rest now.”

When she returned back with small portions of bread and greenery she also came back with a small, wooden mug that had signs of steam sizzling on top. She placed the bread on the side and handed him the warm mug. When he gave her a questioning glance she answered, “It is for your pregnancy. Herbs to help keep the child, and yourself, healthy.”

Bofur gave the inside of the mug a quick look. Sure enough, he saw pieces of greens that were coloring the water. He looked back to Tauriel, who was giving him a smile and understood his hesitation.

“I promise you, it’s not poison. I said before I wish no harm to you or your child, and I mean it.”

He gave the mug a quick sniff, scrunching his face when the bitter smell filled his nose. He was never a fan of medicine, and he never will be. Tauriel looked like she wasn’t going to move until he drank it, and with no other choice he quickly gulped the liquid down. He grimaced when finished and handed the mug back.

Tauriel smiled and passed the food she brought to him before leaving him to his cell alone.

 

~~

 

“Bofur?”

Bofur did not jump when he heard Bilbo’s voice appear out of nowhere again. No, he merely twitched because, really, who could get used to someone who can’t be seen suddenly talk next to you. His heart might have jumped, but he really only flinched.

“Bilbo, you have to give a dwarf a warning when you’re present, making me jump isn’t healthy for me.” Bofur said and looked to the door, waiting for the form of the hobbit to make himself visible.

Bilbo didn’t let him down. He appeared with a smile on his face, but a look of guilt was also in the mix. That got Bofur wondering. “Something wrong?”

Bilbo pulled his curly strands of hair, nervously. “I… I’m not exactly sure how I should say this. I saw you when they took you away.” Bofur’s heart sank. “I followed. I was worried and needed to make sure you’d be alright.”

Bofur looked away from him and stared at his feet. He didn’t need Bilbo to finish explaining. He already figured it out. “You heard then… I take it.”

Bilbo shuffled on his spot. “I did, but I won’t say a word.”

Bofur gave him a grateful smile.

“Bofur, are you still planning on traveling under your condition?” The hobbit asked.

“Did you find a way to get out of here?” The dwarf answered with his own question.

“I have an idea for an escape, but Bofur, are you?”

Bofur didn’t know how to answer. He had thought about his condition and the rest of the quest, and what it would entail. He knew for a fact that if Bombur or Bifur heard the news they will do anything to prevent him from putting himself in stress, or in danger. Mahal forbid if Fili found out. He’d probably chain him or lock him up in order to prevent him from either still traveling, or prevent the news from reaching other ears, in case he decides to _not_ want the child.

“I’ll be fine, Bilbo.” Bofur finally answered. “It’s still early. I won’t be in any danger until… well, honestly I don’t even know when, but I promise you it’s not now. I can still travel.”

Bilbo looked at him as if he had lost his mind. “You don’t even _know_? Bofur! Are you even aware of what is going to happen and what you will _need_?”

“To some extent.” Bofur admitted, and then gave Bilbo a pleading look. “Please, Bilbo, there are more important things to worry about. We still have to reach Erebor, and don’t get me started on the dragon. There is so much to do… I won’t stop because of this. I signed the contract. I agreed to continue through until the end.”

“But, surely there is an excuse for expecting-”

“If there is, we won’t ask,” Bofur emphasized the _‘we’_ part and looked pointedly at Bilbo. “Thorin can’t know. None of the company can. Please, Bilbo, I’m begging you.”

“Alright, alright,” Bilbo sighed, “not a word will be said. Just promise me you’ll look out for yourself.”

“I can’t promise nothing will happen, but I will try.”

“If something _does_ happen I’m telling Oin right away, then Bombur, Bifur and Fili later.” Bilbo stated.

Bofur thought it over. It seemed reasonable enough, and if it helped appease the little hobbit’s mind than who was he to argue? “Deal. If something _does_ happen, you have my permission to tell them.”

Bilbo smiled, grateful. “Thank you.”

Bofur smiled back before asking, “So, about this possible escape idea of yours?”

“Oh, right! I’ll need to check something first and then come back for you lot. Be prepared, alright? And remember your promise.”

“I’ll remember.” And with that, Bilbo disappeared again and trotted off somewhere Bofur couldn’t see. One day he’ll have to ask the hobbit how he managed to do that, but for now he had to focus on mentally preparing for a possible escape.

 

~~

 

The plan was horrible. By far the worst escape Bofur had ever endured, not that he had many escape attempts to compare it with, but any of those non-existing escapes were probably better than this one.

They escaped through barrels. They hid inside these empty and very uncomfortable barrels. They were thrown in a river and rode it to freedom until the elves discovered they escaped and tried to stop them. If their luck wasn’t already bad enough orcs decided to join in the fray and tried killing them on the spot.

The entire thing was a dizzying ride that Bofur couldn’t keep up with. All he knew was that through the orc slaying and water rapids Kili was shot by an arrow, Tauriel came to his and their rescue, and even the all-too-serious elven prince, Legolas, joined the battle with her, which was surprising for them all.

What was more surprising for Bofur was that they managed to escape the prison, the orcs, _and_ the elves, through rapid and twisting waters without him wanting to throw up _once_. Although, he did collapse from shaky legs the moment he touched the rocky shore.

There was no time to celebrate their escape. Kili was wounded, they had no weapons, they were stripped bare with only the clothes on their backs and Thorin still wanted to move. On top of that they still had a long way to Erebor with a lake blocking their path. That was, until a man appeared and had a bow aimed at them.

Bard, the man’s name was, Bard of Laketown, apparently. With Balin’s exchanging tongue, plus all the coin in their pockets, the company managed to find a way across to Laketown, much to Bofur’s expense. The fish smelled horrid and the boat rocking back and forth wasn’t making it much better. He was beyond nauseous by the time they passed through the town’s gates and he couldn’t jump out of the seafood infested barrels fast enough. Of course, it ended up becoming the wrong move to do. He barely managed to lean over the boat before throwing up in front of everyone.

Dwarf, men and hobbit grimaced at the sight, taking a step back in case it became projectile vomit without aim. Bofur was a mess when he finally stopped and got nervous when he realized he had all eyes on him. Fili, Bombur and Bilbo looked at him in concern.

Fili walked up to ask a question but Bofur waved him off by saying, “Boat’s rocking made me sick,” and walked away to avoid any confrontations. From the way Bilbo was eyeing him he knew it was a possibility.

It didn’t happen until they were sneaking around Laketown, following Bard’s lead that Bilbo leaned close and whispered the conversation to avoid curious ears.

“Bofur, are you alright?”

Bofur strained a smile. “Aye, just fine. The smell of fish hit me the wrong way. Plus the boat really did play a part in it. I’m fine, Bilbo, promise.”

Bilbo wasn’t convinced but accepted it anyway. “Promise to talk to me if anything happens or you feel something wrong.”

Bofur grinned at him. “Want me to come to you when I feel like vomiting? I hope you carry a bucket with you all the time.”

Bilbo laughed along with him. “I’ll make sure to ask for a bucket when I can.”

“Deal. Next time I’ll come straight to you. I’m not held responsible for any mishaps.”

“I’ll make sure to remember.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been mentioned that Bombur has 12 kids, but for the sake of the whole "Dwarf pregnancies are hard and they have poor fertility" I took some of them away.  
> To me, three is the max without deadly consequences, four is pushing it, and five is, well, five is praying for Mahal to watch over you.
> 
> On the bright side, this story is nearing its end! Thanks for still sticking around~!


	16. Abandoned with Poison

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bombur and Bifur confront Bofur, and there are orcs.

Bofur was having a horrible night, and when he said horrible he meant _horrible_.

The thing that he wanted out of the quest, the thing he wanted the most out of middle-earth (minus Fili, of course) was standing right in front of him, taunting him with its delectable color and shine.

It was beer, beer that was tucked nicely inside a mug with its close friends like wine and ale surrounding it all across the giant, man-sized table. The mug of beer had been standing for a great portion of the night now, just standing there, taunting him and looking so innocent while doing so. Bofur glared at it. It was so unfair.

He couldn’t drink the mug for a very good reason. A reason that has already been mentioned plenty of times. And because of a pesky hobbit a reason that he was not forgetting any time soon. He didn’t even need to turn around to know that Bilbo was staring down the back of his head. As if daring him to even touch the handle of the mug.

Bofur wasn’t a fool. He knew he couldn’t drink the beer. Drinking was bad for pregnant folk, as every healer from every race would tell you. Of all the things he _didn’t_ learn about pregnancy, drinking was the one thing that he paid attention to and stuck in his mind from the number of times others mentioned it. He felt pity for the folk who couldn’t drink during their pregnancy. Months without touching a single beer, how could they live? The knowledge came back each time he drank at a tavern and spotted the few rare dwarves that managed to bore a child. He would feel pity, but also laugh because he just couldn’t picture himself without drinking at least once a week.

Well, he certainly wasn’t laughing now. He understood their pain, and wished now more than ever to go back and smack himself to feel grateful about being able to drink. Sighing in defeat he collapsed his head against the table, irritated.

The company were singing and dancing around him, drinking their fifth or seventh mug of alcoholic drinks for the night and acting far too drunk for Bofur’s envious liking. Each time one of them passed him he would follow them with his eyes and glare until someone else caught his attention. At least he found comfort knowing that Bilbo wasn’t going to the extreme with the celebration they were receiving. From what Bofur could tell their burglar was barely finishing his first mug and kindly denied a second one being placed in his hands.

Bofur looked at all the various assortments of empty mugs and drinks longingly. What he would give to have a beer at that moment. Someone bumped into him slightly to his left and took up the empty spot next to him. Fili openly grinned, obviously drunk and enjoying himself. It was a nice sight compared to earlier when he was worrying over Kili. The golden prince just looked so carefree.

“Bofur! What are you doing sitting here when there are dances to dance and singing to sing! I had expected you of all dwarves to already be on the table doing both by now.” Fili leaned in to give him a quick kiss on the cheek.

Bofur shrugged. “I don’t feel like it right now. I’m a bit tired, actually.”

Fili frowned. “Tired? What’s wrong? Are you sick? Should I get Oin?”

“No, no, don’t bother yourself with this. It’s nothing. I just haven’t been sleeping well.” Bofur lied and was grateful when Fili accepted it.

“If you’re tired perhaps you should sleep. Come, I’ll escort you.” Fili made to get up but Bofur quickly placed an arm on his shoulder and sat him back down.

“It’s fine, I’ll go in a little bit. Right now I’m just enjoying you lot make fools of yourselves.”  

“Going to blackmail us?” Fili rested his head on his shoulder and nuzzled in.

Bofur laughed at the action. Apparently, a drunken Fili was an affectionate Fili. “Aye, I am. Better to have leverage on all of you if something came up.”

Fili hummed and closed his eyes, staying for a good five minutes before his brother called him over and left. Bofur watched him go and then turned back to the traitorous mug of beer still sitting in front of him. It was there since the beginning and was probably going to stay there until the end. With Bilbo still checking on him he doubted he could even move the mug an inch or two away from its spot without getting scolded.

In all honesty, he was surprised that none of the drunken company even noticed he wasn’t drinking along with them. He, above them all, dearly enjoyed his beer. Bofur not drinking was simply unheard of, but it appeared he spoke too soon on the matter. Someone _had_ noticed his lack of partaking in the celebration and didn’t hesitate to confront him on the spot.

Bombur sat himself where Fili was mere minutes ago, making the bench rattle and tipping some of the empty mugs and cups on the table. He was drunk, but not as bad as the rest of the company. He also wasn’t alone. Bifur flopped himself to Bofur’s other side, and unlike Bombur, he looked sober and determined.

“Brother,” Bombur started, “pray, tell me why you, of all the dwarves here, haven’t touched your drink all night.”

_“Does it have to do with your sickness earlier?”_ Bifur asked in Khuzdul.

“I’m just… tired.” Bofur tried, but Bifur wasn’t buying it. For a dwarf who had an axe imbedded in his head and made it difficult to communicate properly on some days he certainly wasn’t a fool.

_“Tell us the truth, cousin. Someone on their death bed would not stop you from drinking. This matter is of grave importance if it is preventing you from taking one sip.”_

Blast his cousin who was apparently too smart for his own good, and blast his brother too when he said, “Brother, is the reason you’re not drinking your… are you?” Bombur made a gesture towards his stomach.

A feeling of shame washed over him. He placed his elbows on the table and covered his face before answering, “If you already know, why are you asking me?”

_“Because we need a confirmation. It is true, then?”_ Bifur asked.

Bofur felt like crying as he nodded. Now his family knew, and it would be only a matter of time before the news reached Fili, or Thorin, or the rest of the company. How would they react? Fili was already nerve wrecking to think about, but what about the rest? Fili and him were barely courting, the beginning stages. To find him already pregnant, already done the act, the thought was almost a disgrace and the outcome even more so. Pregnant before they started courting, pregnant before they were even married.

“Does Fili know?” Bombur suddenly asked. “It’s safe to assume its Fili’s, right?”

“Of course it’s Fili’s!” Bofur snapped. How dare he even ask! He wasn’t a dwarf bent on bedding everyone he saw. He didn’t even know he was going to bed someone on this quest in the first place!

Bombur raised his hands up in surrender. “Peace, brother, I was just making sure. This is a sensitive matter, especially considering that it’s Fili, the heir of Thorin Oakenshield, Prince under the Mountain.”

Bofur paled slightly. “I know, I know, I just don’t know what to do.”

“Does he know?” Bombur repeated.

“No. I haven’t told him, nor do I plan to, at least not yet. There’s so much on everyone’s mind because of this quest. We’re near Erebor, we’re about to face a dragon soon. I don’t want him to worry about this.”

“Surely you’re not planning on coming with us still. Not under your condition.” Bombur said.

“Of course I am.” Bofur countered, “I signed the contract and we’re so close to the mountain now. I’m not about to stay behind just because of this.”

“You can’t just think about yourself now! You have other priorities to worry about.”

“My _priorities_ are making sure I wake up in the morning, eat something and make it to the boat and reach Erebor before we run out of time.” Bofur looked determined. “This was planned way before… _this,_ ” He pointed at his stomach, “happened. It is the _first_ priority and will remain to be the first priority. No matter what, understand?” He gave Bombur and Bifur a stern look, as if daring them to try and fight him on it.

Bombur and Bifur returned the look, but otherwise didn’t say anything and only nodded. “When are you planning on telling him?”

Bofur didn’t answer for the longest time. He honestly didn’t know _when_ he was going to tell Fili, if he was going to tell him at all. They were so close to reaching their goal. The mountain was right around the corner. The thought of getting closer to the dragon was depressing, and knowing they were willingly walking to death’s doors, well… revealing the news just didn’t seem right. Not when they can’t celebrate it (that’s if Fili even wants it). It could be joyous news, or it could be a burden. He just didn’t want to stress the company over it.

“I’ll tell him when the time is right.” Bofur finally answered.

“And when is that? When the dragon is killed? When Erebor is reclaimed? When you’re showing, not fitting in your clothes and unable to walk?” Bombur pressured.

“Bombur, please… I’ll tell him, I promise. I just can’t do it now.” Bofur’s eyes pleaded and gave his brother the sorriest look he could give.

Bifur signed something and nodded. “ _It is his news to decide when to say. We have no right. Promise you will take care of yourself._ ”

Bofur looked at him gratefully. “Promise. I won’t be able to do anything drastic anyways, not with you two and Bilbo breathing down my neck.”

“Oh good,” Bombur sing-songed, “we have reinforcements in case you try to escape us.”

“As if I could ever escape you two, no matter how hard I try.”

Bifur grinned and patted his shoulder before standing and walking off to grab another mug and chugged it. Bombur remained for a time to drink an entire mug in front of Bofur, smacking his lips loudly and humming from the delectable taste when he was finished. “Best beer I’ve ever tasted.”

Bofur glared at him, seething. “You are a cruel and evil dwarf.”

“Yes I am.” Bombur agreed and smirked before standing and grabbing the very same mug Bofur was glaring at since the beginning of the gathering and walked off with a jump in his steps.

Bofur watched him go, never stopping his glares. If looks could possibly kill… slumping his shoulders in defeat he sighed pitifully and slammed his head on the table. There was nothing much he could do for the night. The atmosphere was merry, he couldn’t deny that, but he was unable to partake in it. What was the point in staying when he wasn’t having fun?

With no purpose for staying and feeling tired from the many confrontations in that one week that were meant for a lifetime he trekked off and made it to his room given for the night. While he didn’t enjoy the merriment with the company he slept well knowing that in the morning he was going to be the only one well-rested and not have a throbbing headache. He slept with a grin, intending to make as much noise as possible the moment he woke up and joined the others.

Unfortunately for him, he didn’t even get the chance to. All the wonderful thoughts of causing Bombur pain by singing at the top of his lungs, and then some, all in vain because he didn’t wake up.

No, he ended up oversleeping, not realizing how tired the whole ordeal was making him.

And none of the members of the company even bothered to go searching for him, or even noticed him missing.

All because of Bombur and Bifur.

They were up and about at the same time as the rest of the dwarves, while Bofur was still sleeping away. Giving one look at their brother/cousin, and they knew exactly what they needed to do.

Even if it meant going against his will, even if it meant they might possibly receive the cold shoulder and never have Bofur utter a word to them, they were going to keep him away from the mountain, and safely away from the dragon.

Without a word they packed up their things and quickly walked out. The company was already outside waiting for those lagging behind, Bombur and Bifur being two of those lagging. The company paid no mind, continuing to chat amongst themselves or trying their best to ignore the evident headache they each had, minus Bilbo of course. Fili caught sight of them, giving them a questioning frown when he noticed his one-of-these-days-betrothed missing.

Bombur quickly waved him off before he could ask the question, saying, “He’ll join us in a bit. Said for us not to wait for him, he’ll catch up.”

Some of the company who overheard nodded, Thorin amongst them, and the timing couldn’t have been better. The last of the company finally joined and before Fili could ask any further or volunteer to wait for Bofur, Thorin barked orders to them to get moving. They were running out of time and couldn’t afford any more delays.

Fili looked like he wanted to object, but in the end followed the company, looking back occasionally for any sign of his dwarf.

 

~~

 

Bofur watched the boats drift by with sadness, rejection and anger, _a lot_ of anger. If he didn’t know any better he would say that his abandonment was on purpose. His brother or cousin wouldn’t have left without checking on him first. They would have woken him up the moment they realized he was still sleeping!

No, the traitorous lot that were related to him left him behind!

If only he was on the boats. He’d give them a piece of his mind – but that was the point, wasn’t it? He was not on the boats. That was their goal.

He sighed and looked up at the cheering crowd. It was too late now, nothing he could do, unless he wanted to try his hand in swimming. The water didn’t look pleasant at all.

Instead, his foul mood quickly cheered up when he spotted Fili, Kili and Oin off to the side, “Did you miss the boat as well?” Only to have the feeling deflate back down when he noticed just how pale Kili had gotten and his brother holding him upright to stay on his feet.

It was a disaster afterwards.

All the folk that once applauded for them were now turning their backs every time they asked for aid. None of them so much as batted an eyelash and quickly slammed the doors on their faces. When it became evident that not a single one of them were going to spare them their time they quickly went to their last retort. While it was probably not their greatest moment, given that they went against the man and publicly humiliated him, they had no choice.

Bard answered the door after the first few knocks only to quickly try and shut it again with a, “No, I’m done with dwarves.”

Bofur intercepted the door. “No one will help us. Kili is sick,” he looked back just as Kili briefly lifted his head, showing his pale face. “He’s very sick.”

When Bard opened his home to aid them, Bofur was extremely grateful for the man’s kindheartedness. He would have thanked him on the spot, but there was no time. Oin was barking orders for them to grab necessary items he required. They needed something to place Kili on, they needed heated water and they also needed Kingsfoil, something the men considered as a weed and fed to their pigs.

With the information and goal in mind Bofur raced off to find these pigs and snatch any remaining Kingsfoil, but not before barking a quick, “Don’t move,” to Kili. Laughter was still a great medicine, and trying for it couldn’t hurt.

Finding the Kingsfoil proved too long, and it was mere luck that he managed to find one pig that had the, still evident and usable herbs in his mouth. He ran back, feeling like everything was going right for once, until he was quickly proven wrong when a giant form of an orc jumped in front of him and sent him flying backwards, landing on a bench and tilting it sideways.

Why couldn’t they ever have a break?

He was defenseless, in a hurry and under no condition to fight at that moment. Crawling on the ground, he quickly ducked under the orc when it tried jumping to strike him. The herbs were deserted somewhere in the distance and he quickly made to grab them, only inches away before the orc decided to aim for his feet and pull him back.

_This was it!_ He thought. The orc was going to strike him and he was never going to see the smiling faces of his family, or eat the delicious food made by Bombur, or make detailed toys with Bombur, or even see Fili one more time. Never touch his golden hair again, or kiss him until they couldn’t breathe.

He hid his face in his arms, hiding away from the sight of the orc striking the final blow. Maybe if he didn’t see it, it wasn’t going to hurt as much? He waited, and waited, and waited some more, but the strike never came. Instead, he heard the orc give an orcish growl of pain and a _thump_ afterwards.

Daring to look, he shook his head and lifted up, spotting off the distance, jumping on the roofs the figure of a tall person. Scratch that, the figure of an elf, shooting arrows as they jumped. Having seen that particular hair-color on that long hair and familiar attire Bofur could only guess that elf was none other than Tauriel. She continued to jump and followed after someone else, disappearing towards the same direction as Bard’s home.

Regaining his senses he quickly grabbed the Kingsfoil and made a mad dash for the destination. If orcs were here and managed to find him than the others were surely in danger! On top of that, Kili was too weak to even defend himself. He needed to quickly reach them and help out in any way he could.

By the time he finally reached the home, Tauriel was standing on top of the steps and looked ready to strike at him until she spotted the Kingsfoil in his hand. Muttering only a single word she snatched them away and got to work ordering for them to hold Kili down after she prepared the herbs.

It was a struggling process. Kili moved and trashed, screaming from the pain, but Tauriel pushed on and Fili and Bofur tried their best to keep him from causing himself anymore pain. Ever so slowly, the pain subsided and Kili was left with only whimpers and a complexion that was reserve for those on bed rest.

Off to the side Bofur watched the dazed interaction Kili was making with Tauriel and couldn’t help but smile. The lad was going to be alright, and Tauriel looked to actually consider the dwarf. Intent on listening, in case he needed blackmail, he never anticipated a hand grabbing his shoulder and turning him around. Fili pressing his lips on him was a pleasant surprise, and while he enjoyed it, he wondered what brought up this act.

“Mm, Fili?”

“I wanted to say thank you.” Fili kissed him again. “You went out and found Kingsfoil for my brother.” Another kiss. “I was also worried about you. The orcs appearing out of nowhere, I was uncertain if they had gotten to you too or not.”

“Aye, they did,” Bofur answered, truthfully, “but it was only one. Miss Tauriel took care of ‘em.”

“ _Miss Tauriel?_ ” Fili repeated. “Since when have you two been close?”

Detecting a hint of suspicion, Bofur quickly kissed his large nose in reassurance. “We became a sort of cell friends. She was good company, since I didn’t have anyone near enough. No need to worry yourself over this. I wouldn’t want to get in Kili’s way. She might actually be interested.”

Fili smiled. “So you noticed too.”

Bofur grinned. “Hard not to. They’re over there making eyes at each other, even with Kili half conscious.” Over to the elf and dwarf named, there was a mumble and a quick show of them holding hands. “I think your brother just confessed.”

Fili laughed into Bofur’s shoulder. “That blabbering fool. No way is he escaping this without a bit of torment.”

“Oh? You approve then?” Bofur was a bit taken back. Knowing the history of dwarves and elves, he thought the last thing Fili wanted for his brother was the possibility of ending up with an elf. Especially considering Thorin.

Fili shrugged. “It’s his choice. Nothing I say or do will honestly make a difference, and the elf seems trustworthy. She did just save him.”

“Aye, she also saved him back in the river.”

“That’s already two points. One more and I might just have to start calling her sister-in-law. Plus, he’s doing better than I did at confessing.”

Bofur hummed, understanding what he was implying. “No potions.”

“No potions.” Fili confirmed.


	17. Fire of Discovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Smaug's brief appearance and Oin's check-up.

Everything was a blur, a blur smeared together with screams, fire, destruction and fear.

The dragon had flown down from the mountain. Its destination being Laketown, and it flew with no mercy in mind.

The first sign was a roar and the house shaking. They didn’t move, too focused on trying to figure out what was happening and what was to happen.

The second sign was the beating of huge wings echoing across and the wind blowing through buildings. They creaked and threatened to fall apart on the spot.

The third sign had them running through the doors to grasp what was going on. They heard the screams of people running, the crackling of burning roofs and the sharp collapsing of buildings. The very roof above their heads was caving in. On the corners, wood creaked from its weakened state. The support tried its best to hold the heavy burden in order to keep its owners alive, but it was failing.

They needed to move, but there was nowhere to go, according to Bard of Laketown.

There was still a glimmer of hope, however, for the dragon was only focused on burning the town and hardly paid any mind for the shores. That was their last chance of escape, but even so the dragon would eventually find them, no matter where they hid. The dragon needed to be killed, and that was exactly what Bard intended to do.

With a black arrow in hand, hidden away under their very noses, he ran out the door, acquiring a promise from the dwarves and elf to keep guard of his three children.

Fili was barking orders for them to move while Tauriel ran out to scout the damage. Kili was still unconscious and couldn’t move an inch without someone carrying him. Fili and Oin volunteered to lug him out while Bofur kept the children close and pulled them away from any collapsing wreckage. Tauriel was the one to lead them out and avoid taking the dangerous paths. With the help of the oldest child they worked together to head for safety, gaining a small crowd as they passed.

Breathing was difficult for all of them, and avoiding small burns was nearly impossible. Smoke blinded the crowd and the only way to make it through was following the body right on front of them. Some weren’t so lucky and got trapped from burning wreckage; others had the wreckage fall right on them.

The screams were deafening. The dragon’s roars even more so. They needed to get out of the burning town (soon to be underwater town). The odds were against them, but by some miracle they managed to reach the segment that had the boats. Tauriel and Fili began ordering for the crowd of families to get on first, also boarding Bard’s children and Kili’s unconscious body with Oin. Bofur stubbornly stayed behind, ignoring Tauriel’s orders and Fili’s pleads.

One by one the boats began floating away with the first set reaching the shores without incident. The dragon never attacked one, and turning around to see the reason, Fili, Bofur and Tauriel understood why. Smaug was circling around one particular spot of Laketown. His attention was focused on something standing on top of a nearly engulfed burning building. Bard was on that building, aiming the black arrow at the dragon.

“He’s going to get himself killed!” Fili shouted. “No arrow can penetrate the beast!” He made to run back into the doomed town, with Bofur and Tauriel following after him. The fires had grown intense and there was no way of passing through without their clothes burning along.

From their spot they watched Bard continue to aim his arrow at the beast, and when Smaug made one particular turn where his chest was left exposed to the man he fired. To their shock the arrow pierced the dragon, who gave a mighty roar of pain and his wings jolted before falling on top of the town, crushing buildings and causing one section to sink underwater.

Over to Bard they watched his tiny form jump from the building he stood on just before it fully collapsed under him. He landed in the water with the wreckage following after and covering any means of resurfacing. The two dwarves and elf tried their best to spot him or spot any sign of someone still alive underwater, any signs of bubbles or ripples flowing across.

It was Tauriel who shouted, “There!” and pointed at something off to the distance.

While their eyesight wasn’t exactly the best Fili and Bofur still managed to spot a figure swimming away from the destroyed town. They shouted for him, gaining his attention and prompting him to swim towards them.

“You are the _luckiest_ and _biggest_ fool I’ve ever met.” Bofur said with a grin when Bard crawled from the water onto the wooden boards. Fili and Tauriel helped haul him up.

“That pretty much sums it up.” Bard replied with a grin of his own. He looked frozen and stiffed and basically what a man, who just faced a dragon, managed to kill it and jumped in a frozen lake would look like. “Where are my children?” He quickly asked when he regained his breath.

“They’re at the shore with the other refugees.” Tauriel answered.

Bard sighed with relief. Given a few moments to breathe and rest they got their footing back and made their way back to the boats and off the destroyed and still burning town. Luckily enough there was one boat still waiting for passengers, and even luckier was that it was just big enough for all of them to fit without tilting it over.

The moment they reached shore Bard practically leaped out of the boat, not being able to get off it fast enough, and ran to his three children who were plowing through people to get to him. It was a tearful and relieving reunion. The dragon was finally dead, but at the cost of many lives. It was both a cause for celebration and a cause for mourning, but they didn’t have time for that. They needed shelter and they needed aid. Taking charge, Bard worked with Tauriel to help set up temporary shelters and provide aid for those with injuries. Oin volunteered on that aspect while Fili took a lead to organize as much as he could. Bofur helped keep an eye on Kili and entertained the children after they received aid to allow the adults to focus on making the small shelters.

All in all, there was a small glimmer of hope, ignoring the sight of the burning town and what could have been a worse result than it was.

 

~~

 

Bofur leaned his back against a tree and breathed in deeply. Days of working and helping had given them decent, temporary shelters and right now he was getting his well-earned rest.

Kili rested next to him on a make-shift bed. He hadn’t woken up yet but his occasional twitching and talking gave them reassurance that he might stir soon, or perhaps sooner.

On the corner of his eye Kili began moving. His hands twitched and his legs stretched out before his eyes fluttered open. Bofur leaned over and waited for him to be fully conscious. When Kili’s eyes focused on him he smiled, “So you finally decide to join us again.”

Kili groaned. “What happened?”

Bofur thought it over, trying to figure out the best way to say everything in a simple manner. “Well, your leg got healed, Smaug attacked Laketown, Bard killed Smaug, Laketown was destroyed and right now we’re trying to help with what we’ve got. That about sums it up.”

Kili looked at him as if he sprouted another head. “Come again?”

“Like I said. You got healed, Smaug attacked, Bard killed him, Laketown was destroyed, and we’re helping the survivors with what little we have.”

“Smaug is _dead_? The _dragon_?” Kili asked with a tone of disbelief.

“Aye, he’s dead. Don’t know any other dragons besides him. It’s been days too and he hasn’t returned, so I don’t expect he’ll be coming back.”

Kili managed a smile. “He’s dead, really dead then. It’s over.” Suddenly his eyes widened. “Wait, what happened to the company? To Thorin?”

Bofur lost his smile. “We don’t know. Haven’t heard a single news about them.”

“Has anyone gone over to Erebor?”

“We’ve been waiting for things to settle down here.” Bofur explained. “Can’t just leave when they need our help. Oin especially won’t leave until everyone has been attended to. Which reminds me,” Bofur stood up. “I’ll go fetch Oin, and Fili as well. I’m sure they’ll be happy to know you’re awake. Don’t move.” He finished with a smile before walking away.

When he came back both Fili and Oin were trailing behind him, and just like he said Fili was beyond happy to see his brother awake and managed a quick hug before Oin shooed him away to examine the healing dwarf.

Bofur gave them a moment and wondered off, intending to help any who needed it, but with Bard and Tauriel in charge hardly anyone required help outright. He walked around; smiled and nodded to everyone he passed. He quickly finished a round and made another one just to buy time until Tauriel found him and beckoned him over.

Upon reaching her, he paused when he noticed her studying him, a frown forming on her face. “Have you been examined?”

Bofur mentally grumbled. He should have just kept walking. “I might have.”

Tauriel looked like she wasn’t buying it, and for god reason. Bofur wasn’t even trying. “You inhaled the smoke just like the rest of us. Why have you been neglecting it?”

He sighed. “I don’t want Oin looking over me. He’ll…”

A look of understanding passed over her. “You are afraid Oin will know of your pregnancy.”

“Among other thing.”

“You have nothing to fear. The dwarf seems trustworthy, and if you ask it of him I’m sure he will keep it a secret until you decide when to announce it. Think of your well-being.” She tried reasoning, and naturally it worked.

“Fine,” Bofur said in defeat, “I’ll go to Oin. When he’s not busy.” He added in an attempt to stall for time, but it didn’t work.

Tauriel looked over to a distance and pointed. “He is not busy now.”

Bofur followed her gaze where Oin was indeed not busy and walking around, asking any potential patients if they needed any aid. He panicked slightly when Tauriel placed a hand on his shoulder and pushed him along.

“I have a patient for you.” She called out when they reached the dwarf healer.

“Bofur, I was starting to wonder if I’d ever catch you. The elf finally convinced you?”

Bofur swallowed and nodded, and shot Tauriel a traitorous look when she quickly turned and walked away. When Oin moved to start the examination he quickly took a step back and searched around. “Do you mind if we do this privately?” Asked Bofur, nervously.

Oin raised an eyebrow but agreed to his request. They found an empty shelter and quickly borrowed it for the moment. Hesitantly, Bofur sat down when Oin ordered it and did everything possible to keep himself in place. Oin poked and prodded, hearing everything and studying anything on his body. Bofur began twitching when Oin began reaching near his stomach area, and his heart sank completely when Oin asked him to lie down and lift up his shirt.

Bofur obeyed the orders, but took an unreasonable amount of time doing so. When Oin began poking his abdomen he quickly shut his eyes and waited for the inevitable. Oin poked one spot and Bofur let out a loud gasp at the pressure, causing the healer to still. Bofur shut his eyes tighter (if it was possible) and held his breath.

Oin prodded the same area again and again, going softer with each reaction he earned. With a hum of understand he said, “Now I understand why that elf asked all those questions.”

Bofur opened his eyes. “Pardon?”

“The she-elf, outside. In the cells she kept asking me about dwarf pregnancies and any herbs taken during the period. I thought it odd that she would even ask, but now it all makes sense. She was asking for you.” Oin figured out. “You should have come to me sooner. You’re lucky the smoke didn’t cause any permanent damage to the child.”

Bofur lifted himself with his elbows. “Is something wrong?”

Oin shook his head. “Nothing a bit of herbs won’t help with. It looks like you’re nearly about two months in. Has the sickness hit you yet?”

Bofur thought it over. Had it really been that long since Beorn’s hall? In a way it made sense. They spent weeks, maybe even a month traveling through Mirkwood and he had no idea how long they stayed imprisoned. He practically had his body killing him and left him half-conscious throughout it. “Sometimes, there are on and off days.” He answered Oin’s question.

Oin’s next question caused Bofur to freeze momentarily. “Have you informed Fili about it?”

He had to be thankful that at least Oin didn’t ask if it even belonged to Fili in the first place. “No.”

“Do you plan to? I know the news spread around the company about your courting.”

“I do plan on telling him, but I didn’t want him to worry with the dragon about and a quest that still needs to be completed.”

“The dragon is dead. Now’s the perfect time than any for joyous news.”

Bofur looked at him. “Joyous?” Sure the news of expecting was always a happy thing, but wasn’t the dwarf healer thinking of the fact that the pregnancy was out of wedlock? Not to mention during the early stages of the courting.

“Of course.” Oin said, favorably. “Dwarf pregnancies are always grand news and a cause for celebration. On top of that, this is a Durin’s heir. The continuation to the line.”

Bofur considered it. While the pregnancy itself was great news, and the fact that it was an heir to the throne, he still felt like he needed to wait. They didn’t have any word about the rest of the company. Fili, not to mention Kili as well, were worried about their uncle. Bofur himself was worried about his brother and cousin. It didn’t seem right to reveal the news just yet. Not until they find out what happened to their friends and family.

“I still want to wait until I reveal the news.” He finally decided.

Oin accepted the choice. “I understand. Just know that Fili will most likely be happy with the news.”

While the words were encouraging, it still didn’t make the possibility of Fili maybe not wanting anything to do with the child in any way. If not Fili, than quite possibly Thorin. The idea of an heir coming from a lowly miner and toymaker, it was hardly a recipe for a strong child to contribute the line of Durin. They could end up rejecting it for all he knew. No, he didn’t want them to know, not yet. Until he felt he could manage the pain. He just couldn’t do it now.

Oin finished up the examination and let him go. “You’re all done.”

Bofur eagerly got out of the shelter and headed back to his original spot next to Kili’s previously unconscious body. He spotted both princes still there plus the added figure of Tauriel, smiling and talking to the dark-haired dwarf.

When his footsteps were within earshot Fili saw him and walked over, enclosing him in his arms and giving him a big kiss.

“What was that for?” Bofur smiled when he pulled back.

Fili kissed his nose. “Those two over there,” he gestured at Kili and Tauriel, “have been making eyes at each other since the moment she got here and wouldn’t stop. Even with me there. They made me miss my handsome dwarf.”

“O, so you’re competing against them, are you?”

Fili smiled innocently. “Quite possibly. Want to help me show them how real lovey eye staring is done? With your eyes and smile and my charming good looks, why, we’ll have them running with shame in no time.”

Bofur threw his head back and laughed. “Bless me that would be a sight. Let’s get started then.”

Fili grinned and kissed him again.

 

~~

 

The day they finally planned to march for Erebor was both nerve wrecking, and – frankly – a bit annoying and frustrating. Not because of the actual walking they will do, but because of the company that was tagging along.

Bard was understandable. The dwarves were responsible for waking the dragon and bringing its fiery wrath against the folk of Laketown. They were brave enough to admit that, but what they didn’t like was the elves of Mirkwood marching along with them. They especially didn’t like Thranduil’s presence. The elven king already caused tension just by being there, but when he spotted Tauriel amongst the dwarves all hell nearly, and quietly with intense glares, broke loose. Thankfully, Tauriel was able to handle the harsh words and Kili managed to hold himself back. The king made a gap between them, preventing Tauriel from getting anywhere near the dwarves and ordering her back to the guards. Everyone accepted it quietly. They didn’t like it, but none of them could do anything about it.

The dwarves never got a chance to see her after that, especially Kili who tried multiple times to sneak to her, but other elves and their blasted imposing hearing made it impossible to even cross the invisible border they set up. Agreeing nothing could be done, they kept their distance without a word and waited for the fateful day to finally march up to Erebor and discover the result of their company.

On the day before the fateful walk Bofur sat on a particular spot, hidden away from the men and elves and still having a grand sight of Erebor. His thoughts were filled with many things ranging from his brother and cousin’s state, to the company, to Bilbo since he was the one sent inside to face the dragon, and to what they will possibly find when they reach the mountain. He also had concern with how everything was going to end. Bard and Thranduil were going to march up to the mountain to claim part of the gold, as per the agreement they decided on with Fili. What’s to stop them from just claiming everything when they get there? They were 13 dwarves and one little hobbit, after all. Not much of a threat.

On another thought, Bofur also had the entire negotiation replaying in his head. He was fortunate enough to witness it first hand, and he will tell you that he was darn happy he did. Watching Fili, watching him take charge, make demands, make agreements and just put on a magnificent show that was only negotiating and yet looked to be the most amazing thing Bofur ever witnessed. He was hot and bothered by the end and couldn’t put enough distance between them when he walked away.

Sighing, he leaned his body down and rested on the ground, gazing up at the darkening sky. Another matter that plagued his mind was, naturally, the one thing that was putting him through a trial, his pregnancy. He – according to Oin – finally reached his two months mark, and already he could tell his body was changed, if the small bump that was forming on his stomach was to go by. It was barely visible, and even though he was never really in shape in the beginning, the bump looked _and_ felt really out of place on him. He dreaded the day where he might have to steal Bombur’s clothing.

The sounds of footsteps began somewhere in the distance, coming closer and closer until the figure responsible hovered right over him. His eyes were closed, but when the figure chuckled he knew exactly who it was without having to see them. He smiled against lips when Fili sat down and kissed him.

“You are a sight for sore eyes.” Fili said and lied next to him.

“The elf king and Bard got you running ragged?”

“They got me running with headaches. I swear, who survives doing constant negotiations? They need to be illegal!”

Bofur hummed. “If it helps any, you’re very attractive when you’re making demands.”

Fili smirked and raised an eyebrow. “O? Attractive enough to have you on me?”

“Down boy. You know we can’t be doing that.”

Fili scooted closer and wrapped an arm around him. Bofur nearly flinched and was about to move back but Fili only wrapped an arm on his chest, nowhere near his stomach. The prince kissed his cheek and rested his chin on his shoulder. “Can’t we skip it and go straight to the marriage?”

Bofur wished they could, but courting was courting and they needed to do it properly, even when they hopped steps already and gave him (joyous?) consequences. “I don’t think your uncle would appreciate that, or your mother for that matter.”

“Thorin already approved, we practically have his blessing. As for my mother, she will love you, I’m sure of it. Even if she doesn’t I’m not changing my mind, but I know that won’t happen.”

Bofur placed a hand over his and brushed circles on it. “You sound sure about it. What if she doesn’t like my hat? Or my braids? I’m not changin’, ya hear?”

“And I don’t want you to. I’m sure she’ll love your hat, might even end up trying to take it from you. Your braids are your braids; she won’t have a right to dislike them. I like them.” Fili nuzzled his neck, causing his braid-less hair to entangle with his own.

Bofur smiled and nuzzled back. They lied together under the night sky, watching the stars shine and glimmer in the darkness. A thought crossed the miner again, and he moved his hand over his stomach, tracing the nearly-non-existing bump and causing his heart to beat faster. Now seemed like a perfect opportunity, but was it really? They still didn’t know of their family’s state, and for all they knew their family might possibly not be alive anymore. His heart clenched at the thought. Never to see Bombur and Bifur again? He didn’t think he could possibly handle that. And the image of Fili’s heartbroken face at the sight of Thorin’s dead body? No, he couldn’t say a word.

But it wasn’t just his news to keep hidden away either.

Gaining the courage to finally utter a word, it quickly vanished the moment he said, “Fili,” and the fear of rejection returned. All he could say when Fili replied was, “I have something to tell you, but I want to wait until we reach Erebor.”

Fili lifted his head. “Is something wrong?”

Bofur gave a strained smile. “No, nothing like that. Just, news, I guess. But I’ll wait until we discover what happened to the company.”

Fili studied him, looking for any sign or clues to what exactly he meant or what the news was about, but when Bofur repeated his words he finally nodded. “Alright, but if something is wrong-”

Bofur kissed his nose. “If something is wrong you’ll be the first to know. Promise.”

Fili rested his head against his shoulder again and together they stayed like that for a while longer. If the prince tightened his hold on him after the statement and kept him closer, Bofur wasn’t going to say anything. He felt safe in the warm arms, and for a moment he felt accepted and everything was right with his world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Tis almost the end now. I don't know if anyone is still reading, but thank you for still checking in here. There is going to be a bit of a pause after this chapter, it shouldn't take too long but I've been known to disappear for months at a time, so I apologize and beg for forgiveness in advance if it comes to that.


	18. Job Titles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bofur realized what he's gotten himself into.

The moment they reached the broken gates of Erebor the feeling of dread and fear for what they were find hit them harshly on their stomachs. For Bofur it was twice as worse.

They were about to pass through the gates with groups of elves and men that, put together, was practically an army when something halted their first steps. It was a grand sight for sure, and the feeling of relief swept them so strongly that they almost fell to their knees on the spot.

Thorin was the first of the dwarves to appear. He stood on top the rubble, giving himself an intimidating sight with an added dash of royalty when the wind decided to blow across on that moment. Fili and Kili were heard gasping and simultaneously shouted their uncle’s name.

Behind Thorin came the rest. Bilbo was the first up, flailing his arms to try and keep balance over the stones and avoid the embarrassing scene of falling face first in front of all of them. After Bilbo came Dwalin and Balin, side by side. They studied the army waiting outside their doors carefully, but Bofur ignored them in favor of focusing on the two people he desperately wanted to see. He was not disappointed when right after the two Fundins came the massive form of Bombur and the scowling face, with a hint of concern, of Bifur. He shouted for their attention and was rewarded with them acknowledging him and shouting his own.

He sprinted off towards them as fast as he was possibly allowed. They in turn ran as well and together they met in the middle with hugs, head bashes, smiles and Khuzdul.

“I’m so happy to see you both! I was losing my mind with worry when we heard nothing from you.” Bofur said with relief in his tone.

“We were worried about you, too!” Bombur declared and went for another, stronger hug. “We saw the dragon fly for Laketown and thought the worse. We’d never forgive ourselves if something happened to you. We left you there! It was our fau-”

Bofur stopped him. “None of that now. I’m fine, still alive, see. No dragon can take me down, but I’ll not be forgiving you so easily for leaving me behind.” He earned a grin from both of them.

“We didn’t expect you to. We were fully prepared, I’ll have you know.”

Bifur stepped up. _“We wanted to rush to you the moment we saw the dragon fly off, but we couldn’t.”_

Bofur looked puzzled. “Why couldn’t ya?”

Bombur cleared his throat and lowered his voice. He avoided turning his head or using his hands and only flicked his eyes towards the direction of the dwarven king. “Thorin… hasn’t been right from the moment we entered. He refused any of us from heading for Laketown.”

“Why?”

Bombur shrugged with his massive shoulders. “We don’t know, but it might have something to do with what happened to us. He didn’t even look worried or seemed to remember that both his nephews were there.”

Bofur thought it over. “That… doesn’t sound right, and what happened to you?”

“To the entire company, but I’ll explain later.”

Bofur looked over to the king in hopes of finding a clue to his strange behavior or what apparently happened to the company. Instead, he witnessed firsthand what his brother and cousin meant by the conduct.

Thorin was still standing on his spot when he first came out, but now Fili and Kili stood in front of him. From the frowns they were making they looked to be arguing. Over what, Bofur didn’t know, not until he heard Thorin shout, “They will gain none of my treasure!” loud enough for it to echo across the small army.

“Uncle, be reasonable!” He heard Fili shout, but it seemed Thorin was having none of it.

“Get them off my mountain. They will not see a single gem.” He growled and made a move to show he was finished speaking.

Bofur saw Bilbo say something to the king, but the hobbit was promptly ignored. He sent Bard and Thranduil an apologetic look before walking up to the two princes and muttering something to them. Bofur was about to make a step up to walk towards them as well but an arm grabbed hold and pulled him back. Bombur carefully wrapped the arm around his shoulders and started leading him inside the broken gates, shooting cautious glances at the gathering of men and elves, and then shooting another at their own king.

“Bombur, what?” Bofur wanted to question but his brother’s hold suddenly tensed and he began ushering him inside quicker.

“Come with us before Thorin decides that you’re on the elves and men’s side.” Bombur whispered.

“Why would he decide that?” Bofur carefully sidestepped some of the rubble to avoid falling on his face.

“Please, brother, just get inside. We’ll explain in due time.”

Bofur acknowledged the pleading tone in his brother’s voice and allowed him and his cousin to push him inside. He noticed the rest of the company as they passed by, even spotted Oin following after Gloin as they spoke. He fixed a quick glance back at the army, spotting Thorin ordering them to leave and Fili still trying to reason with him. Bilbo and Kili stood on the side, both looking unsure at what exactly they were supposed to do and only watched on. Kili, Bofur noted, also gave quick glances at the army, trying to find the one body that meant something to him, but was unsuccessful when Bilbo began steering him back and away from the army.

Thorin barked something one last time before turning, signaling the final decision. Fili took the chance to whisper something to Bard and Thranduil before following after his uncle, still trying to put reason in his head.

Bofur’s attention was taken away when they passed through the gates of Erebor, walked a fair distance inside and the shine and glitter of the treasure, spread across the chamber and creating a miniature mountain, came within sight. The shine was positively hypnotizing. Bofur couldn’t look away and without realizing it he began walking towards it. A sapphire caught his eye. Out of all the gems spread around it, an emerald on the left and a diamond on the right, the sapphire kept his gaze like a moth to a flame. The sapphire reminded him of something he adored, something he loved, but it just wasn’t the right shade of blue. Bofur pictured Fili’s eyes and all the colorful blends it held when directly under sunlight.

A hand on his shoulder snapped him out of the trance. Bombur looked at him with concern but also understanding. “Don’t stare at the gold for too long.” He said and steered him away to a room that was gold free and already had make-shift beds surrounding it.

Bombur sat him down and before Bofur knew it both him and their cousin began prodding and pulling his clothes. They were checking for injuries no doubt, even though Bofur knew he was scratch-free because of Oin but for their peace of mind he allowed it. That was until Bifur placed a hand near his abdomen and caused him to squeak at the slight pressure. He jumped on his feet and batted their hands away.

“Oi, I’m fine, I’m fine! Stop trying to undress me!”

“We’re just making sure.” Bombur said.

“By stripping me naked? We may share blood, but there are things I’d rather you not see.”

“ _Like you gaining roundness?_ ” Bifur asked with a twinkle in his eyes.

Bofur wrapped his arms around his stomach and pouted. “You weren’t supposed to feel that.”

“ _I wait for the day when you and Bombur will compete for clothes_.”

Both brothers gave him a glare, Bofur more than Bombur.

“ _Tell me, does any of the company know yet? Does the prince?_ ”

Bofur shook his head, guiltily.

“You have to tell him one day. You can’t hide it forever.” Bombur informed. He took a step closer and placed an arm on his shoulder. His tone changed to a softer chime. “Brother, are you alright?”

Bofur looked confused. “Yes of course I’m alright. Why shouldn’t I be?”

“Well you did have a dragon attack the town you were in. Did you get hurt? Any burns?”

“I should be asking you that. You both and the company woke the dragon up and got hit with most of the wrath.”

Bombur nodded. “Aye, we did, but the dragon left us in favor of you. We were worried until we heard news of his death. What happened?”

For the next half hour Bofur weaved together the story of Smaug attacking that was sensible for their worrisome nerves. On specific parts where death was almost certain Bombur and Bifur’s knuckles turned white and their faces lost color but to prevent them from sticking to his side for the rest of the day Bofur toned it down just a bit. It still didn’t stop them, however. Oh no, if anything trying to water it down only made it worse. The fact that they could tell he watered it down and the very reason _why_ he _had_ to water it down in the first place only filled their minds with horrific possibilities of what actually happened.

In all honesty, Bofur thought what happened to him in Laketown wasn’t that bad, at least compared to what his brother and cousin had to face. Sure, he almost suffocated from the smoke and nearly got squished from collapsing buildings, but that was just the surroundings out to get him. His brother and cousin had a dragon chase after them. Smaug didn’t even know he existed when he attacked the town. The only reason why they made a big deal out of it was for the fact that he was pregnant. Otherwise, he was positive they wouldn’t be practically glued at his sides.

“Tell me, why is the entire company so-?” Bofur looked around, noticing the company walking around cautiously.

Bombur followed his gaze and nodded in understanding. “It is because of Thorin. I said before he hasn’t been… himself lately.”

“You said something happened, right? To all of you?”

“Aye, it’s the gold sickness.” Bombur said, gravely. “Thorin has it worst of all. All of us managed to snap out of it, thanks to Bilbo.”

Bofur thought back to the moment he entered Erebor and gazed upon the piles of gold. “All of you then? Even-?” He looked to Bifur and got his answer when the dwarf nodded at him. “How did Bilbo even manage that? What with your thick heads.”

“Hilarious, brother,” Bombur sarcastically said, “our burglar managed to snap me out of it by making me rant about my wife and children.” Bombur’s voice had a touch of pride when he explained.

“Of course, and you?” Bofur asked Bifur.

Bifur mumbled under his breath. “ _He reminded me you were still out there_.”

Bofur wasn’t going to say it but the moment he heard those words his heart swelled up with joy, and maybe pride, and he might have snickered here and there about the confession. “Aww, love you too, cousin.”

Bifur grunted but otherwise didn’t say much else.

Bofur remained by their side for the rest of the day. He didn’t have much choice in the matter since they refused to let him out of their sight. It was both a familiar feeling and a new development at the same time. They had been together for a majority of the trip, only having each other to comfort, but the determination they suddenly had to keep him guarded was certainly a new change, and he’d bet all his money he knew exactly why.

Occasionally, he would look around for any signs of a golden-haired prince but was often disappointed from the lack of shine. He could only guess that Fili was out with his brother somewhere trying to reason with their uncle, since both Kili and Thorin were also missing from the picture, even Bilbo.

He didn’t see any of them until two days passed by. Kili was the first to appear, a frown newly developed on his face. He looked both angry and upset but Bofur didn’t get a chance to ask him about it. Bilbo showed up sometime after him. He refused to look at anyone and only stared off at the distance with a disappointed scowl. He was also jumpy as well. When Bofur called out to him he saw the hobbit jump in the air before turning around and muttering a very quick greeting before he retreated from sight. Bofur was confused, but otherwise didn’t question much of it. If Bilbo wanted privacy who was he to stop him?

After those two he eagerly awaited the one he wanted. It took some time, hours actually, before Fili finally turned up. The prince was distracted at first, but when Bofur called out his name he smiled broadly and snatched him away from Bombur and Bifur, who quickly took the hint to stop following and give them privacy.

Fili took him away to an empty part near the piles of gold and away from any of the company. Bofur gave the pile a hypnotic stare every once in a while, but quickly snapped himself out of him when he remembered Bombur’s words. He found in order to fight the pull of gold sickness all he had to think about was Fili and their unborn child. If he lounged around the treasure all day and night he’d end up losing both for sure, and after going through so much to get where he was at he wasn’t about to risk it.

It seemed Fili was also fighting the pull because every once in a while he would stop everything he was doing (which was digging through the pile) he would stare frozen in place for a time before suddenly jerking and starting again where he left off. Curiosity got the better of Bofur, who was sitting in a make-shift seat made of gold, after the prince pulled out a third circlet and promptly threw it higher on the pile when he shook his head in disappointment. Each circlet he pulled grew thicker and higher classed with every toss. Bofur was almost baffled as to why he was even searching for a circlet in the first place. Wouldn’t the prince have a grand crown, or something? Surely a prince wouldn’t wear something so small as a circlet.

“Fili? Mind me asking what you are doing?” Bofur finally asked.

“Searching.” Was all Fili said.

“Kind of obvious there, but what are you searching for?”

“The perfect-” Fili pulled up a fourth circlet and inspected it closely. He did a double take to Bofur and back to the trinket before tossing it with the others and muttering a ‘no.’

“The perfect what? Crown? I may not know much of royalty, but aren’t those a bit small for you? I mean, being a prince and all. Surely you will get a big crown instead of those.” Bofur reached out and snatched one of the tossed circlets, running a finger over the fine craftsmanship. It was a simple copper circlet that had three gems on the front and curled around each other in a pattern.

“What?” Fili said and turned around to finally look at him. “I’m not searching for me. I’m searching for you.”

The circlet in Bofur’s hand hit the floor with a loud ‘ping.’ “W-what? Me? Why in the world are you searching for me?”

Fili looked hurt for a second. “Have you changed your mind? We agreed to be married, unless your answer is no.”

Bofur’s eyes widened in realization. “O-oh, Oh! No! No, I haven’t changed my mind, no. I just, I didn’t realize… I didn’t think this far through.” Bofur laughed nervously. He reached down and picked up the mistreated circlet. “I didn’t think I’d wear one of these, is all. Actually, never thought I’d wear one ever in my lifetime.”

Fili looked confused. “Well of course you’re going to wear one. You’re going to be my consort, after all. Unless uncle picks another heir you are to rule Erebor by my side.”

Another ‘ping’ rang across the room as the circlet fell down again. Bofur’s mouth went horribly dry and he found his heart skipping a step. “R-rule?”

The prince quickly stood up and wrapped an arm around his partner’s shoulders. “You’re going to marry a prince of Erebor. I thought you knew this job came with the agreement.”

Bofur shook his head. He never even thought about it. He was so focused on Fili and reminding himself that he was a prince, thus meaning he was too high for him to reach, he completely neglected to think of the part where the prince _actually_ took the throne. He just imagined that Thorin would live forever and keep Fili a prince for as long as they lived. “Alright, so I might not have thought this through.”

Fili looked like a wounded animal and withdrew his hold. “Are you changing your mind?”

Bofur quickly snatched the arm. “No, I’m not changing my mind. Don’t think that.”

“You look terrified. I’m scaring you away, aren’t I?”

“No you’re not, you silly dwarf. I want to marry you. I want to stay by your side, and I will, as long as you have me, or until you realize you could do better than me.”

Fili quickly kissed him. “Never. You’re the best I could ever have.”

“And you’re insane.” Bofur motioned at the circlets. “You must understand my situation here. I’m from low class. I’m a simple miner and toy maker. The closest I had ever been to royalty was walking pass some lord in the Blue Mountains, and now suddenly I have a prince of Erebor wanting to marry me and telling me what I have to _rule_ over a mountain. I know nothing about ruling. For all I know I’ll end up fully naked in front of a crowd because I had no idea where I left a treaty or because some lord is shoving me around.”

Fili had the audacity to laugh when he was finished and snatched another kiss from him. An even longer one this time. “I promise you won’t be naked in front of a crowd. I won’t allow it. Those are only for my eyes to see.”

Bofur gave him a pointed look. “That’s not the point.”

“No, it’s not. Do not worry yourself. You won’t be alone and if you ever need to say commands they will be written down and ready for you. I’m the one that will be taking most of the bunk. I just need you standing by my side.”

“Mmm, I still think you’re insane.”

“Maybe, but I’m insane for you.”

Fili continued searching for the perfect circlet, and when he nearly gave up fate decided to reward him his prize. Without even meaning to he grabbed an object within the pile he planned to use as leverage to stand up and yanked with him a large silver circlet engraved with three emeralds that shined nobility and beauty. He grinned at the trinket, held it close and walked over to Bofur. Helping him up he quickly snatched the hat and replaced it with the silver circlet. The sight he saw was breathtaking and for a moment Bofur looked every bit of royalty he deserved.

Not even giving the miner a chance to pull the circlet off his head Fili grabbed his shoulders and hugged him. He gave him a grand kiss and refused to let go, even when Bofur began swatting his head in an attempt to breath. Fili smiled against his lips but refused to release his hold. This was a perfect moment and he wanted it to last forever.

Naturally, it didn’t.

The circlet was forgotten and misplaced when the news of an army of orcs approaching Erebor reached their ears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eyyyy, sorry about the long wait. I posted the last chapter when finals was about to start and before I knew it time escaped me (I warned before hand I disappear for months at a time). Also, I have summer school! (Joy! Sarcastically said)   
> If you're reading this thanks for sticking around for so long! I don't deserve any of your attention, but I accept it with open arms. 
> 
> The war is coming, is there anything specific you guys want to read? I don't have much planned except small fighting scenes. If you want to read the three pairings doing something before or during the war let me know and I'll try to add them!


	19. The Sacrifices and Promises Made

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bilbo sacrifices, Kili promises and Fili finally knows.

Bilbo breathed heavily as he marched back to Erebor. The trip going to Thranduil and Bard and returning back left him winded, but the thought of facing his friends, facing Thorin after just handing over the very item they were all desperately searching for made it nearly impossible to inhale. Justifying his actions gave him a peace of mind. He had done it for his friends, for the company. Thorin was sentencing them to certain death and Bilbo couldn’t allow that to happen.

Thorin wasn’t in his right mind. The company weren’t about to go against their king’s orders. Bilbo was sacrificing everything, this he was sure of, but it was a sacrifice that needed to be done. He only hoped that it turned out to be the right thing. He was risking more than just friendship, more than simple treasure that he honestly had no use for, he was risking Thorin.

But sacrificing him and the company’s friendship for a chance that they survive the upcoming war was by far a fair exchange. He could beg for forgiveness, try and heal what was left of the delicate string from the sharp knife of betrayal. As long as they all live he could live on knowing they were out and about in their mountain, but if they died because of greed and there was something he could have done to prevent it then he could never forgive himself.

No, as long as they survived, what he had done was the right thing.

He caught glimpses of each dwarf as he returned back. Their bearded faces, their interactions, their bickering. It warmed his heart and gave him courage for what he was going to face in the near future, knowing that these dwarves would live to see another day together. Most likely not with him, but he would sleep better at night knowing they were still walking around.

His eyes instinctively searched for the one dwarf that gained his affection. Not once, in this hair rising journey of imminent death, did he ever believe that he would find someone of his liking, and yet that was exactly what happened, with the king of all folk. But he did, and he found the situation worse. How a king would ever find a hobbit such as himself interesting was beyond him. Without a doubt Bilbo had no chance. And yet, desperately trying to fight the growing hope in order to avoid disappointment, he found that maybe, _just maybe_ , he might have a chance after all.

Of course he was giving all that up in order to keep the king alive.

Bilbo traced his shoulder, feeling the lacing of mithril under his clothes. A gift from Thorin that he planned to cherish until the end of his days. The king gifted the item days prior to the gold-sickness worsening and leaving a shell of the dwarf. It was a tender moment that Bilbo did not want to forget. Thorin smiled and held him close. The mithril shirt held in-between them as Bilbo buried his head in the dwarf’s shoulder.

He pulled his fingers away from the shirt as if it burned. He had just betrayed them all and had no time to linger in memories. Thranduil and Bard agreed to appear in Erebor’s front steps in a couple of hours. Bilbo had little time before he was to face everyone’s wrath, especially Thorin’s.

The time in-between until then he spent avoiding the company. It was somewhat hard to do with Kili, Bofur and Ori always calling him when they spotted his nervous body. The rest were kind of neutral about his presence, thus making it easier to scurry away unnoticed. As for avoiding Thorin, the dwarf was already distracted with his gold and more often than not refused the audience of anyone. Without even trying, Bilbo never once ran into the dwarf. It pained him, naturally, but it proved to be helpful in dulling the aching a little. Not by much, but every ointment counted.

He waited until the fateful moment occurred, and it proved to be worse than he originally thought, by far.

He didn’t cry himself to sleep (thankfully) in one of the elven tents that night, and having Gandalf by his side helped him through it. He expected many outcomes to happen when the two kings presented the horrid stone. He anticipated Thorin shouting. He certainly imagined his red face and seething glares. He might have expected a lashing or two, but when the dwarven king grabbed him by the throat and very nearly threw him off the mountain the last thing he ever expected was his life ending by the hands of the dwarf he had come to like. Possibly even love.

Bilbo sat inside the tent trying to compose himself. He kept repeating in his mind the sacrifice he made was necessary and worth it, but when the pain of a breaking heart hit full force all he could think of was _why_ he didn’t just give the blasted stone to Thorin. Then the near-murderous face of Thorin appeared before him and he remembered exactly why he did what he did.

It wasn’t Thorin ruling over the remains of Erebor. It was a sickness that blinded reason, and Bilbo would be damned if he allowed it to win.

 

~~

 

In the dead of night Kili snuck out of Erebor and the company’s prying eyes as quietly as he could.

War was coming and his living days was possibly approaching an end.

It was unfair, he’d admit it, but he lived a good, young, and solid life under his mother’s watchful eyes, Fili’s brotherly companionship and Thorin’s disciplinary hand.

He might never see his mother again. Might never have another adventure with his brother or watch his uncle get crowned king. He might never find the one for him or have any dwarflings, become a father of his own, but it was his duty for the company, his uncle and Erebor.

Which also meant that the company, his uncle and Erebor shouldn’t care for what he was about to do because he might die anyway.

Oh yes, Kili was sneaking out to the elven encampment for the sole purpose of finding Tauriel. He was near his end; he deserved to see her one last time. Not under hiding or away from judging eyes. He wanted to see her in person and in public without being afraid of getting caught.

Once he reached the camp he marched out in the open in search of the one he was looking for. He ignored the stares and pointed looks many elves gave him. There was no point in fighting with each other since they were to soon fight side by side.

Finding Tauriel proved to be a greater task, but when he spotted the batch of ginger hair he walked with quick steps and an eager smile, only to skid to a stop when he spotted a mob of golden hair next to her. Another elf stood by her side, and Kili didn’t need a clear sight to know it was Legolas, the elven prince of Mirkwood himself. Kili remembered him. He also remembered how the elf gave him glares when he spoke with Tauriel during his time in the cells.

Kili was not blinded. He knew jealousy when he saw it (Fili was a prime example during the potion mishap) and also knew how dangerous it could be. But right now he didn’t know who exactly should be careful about it. He was tempted in pulling out his bow and shooting the elf in his face, but sadly he was left bow-less and he left his swords back in Erebor.

His only two options were to either walk up to the two and disturb whatever conversation they were having, or give up for the night and head back, knowing this could be the last chance he had in speaking to Tauriel. The latter won, naturally.

Kili walked up to the elves with heavy steps, purposely making loud noises to obtain their attention. He didn’t need to try hard. Their ears perked at the sound and together they turned to the source. Tauriel’s smile caused him to smile and he completely ignored the irritated stares from the elf prince.

“ _Dear one,_ ” Tauriel said, earning a look from Legolas, “what are you doing here?”

“I came to see you.” Answered Kili. “We’re about to go to war and I might not see you again.”

Something in Tauriel’s expression changed and she closed the distance between them. Legolas took the hint and busied himself somewhere else, but not before muttering something to Tauriel in a language Kili didn’t understand and giving him one last glare. Kili didn’t notice because Tauriel was standing right in front of him and proved to be a great distraction from the world.

He grabbed her hand when she held it out for him and allowed her to pull him away from public sight. She led him to a somewhat secluded spot, away from tents and other curious eyes. There they both sat close to each other, knees touching and body heat exchanging. Kili reached for her hand without hesitation, heart jumping when she intertwined their fingers and smiled at him.

“How have you been?” She asked.

“I’m doing fine, now that you’re here.” He replied with a grin.

“Flattering, but that is not what I meant.” Tauriel’s smile never faltered and her cheeks gained color. “How is Erebor? You mentioned it was something you and your brother always wanted to see. Has it been everything you imagined?”

Kili thought it over. It was, in a sense, but his uncle was currently a big disruption from appreciating its beauty. “It has been everything. It will be better once we repair the damage done and my uncle isn’t so-” He waved helplessly, trying to find the right word.

“Plagued?” Tauriel supplied.

Kili tried searching for another word but agreed with her in the end. “My uncle is a main concern, and until he snaps out of it we are otherwise restricted, of sorts.”

“Can you not do anything while your king is in this state?”  

“No,” Kili shook his head, “Thorin is in charge and barks the orders. If we do something he doesn’t like we’ll be thrown off the mountain for sure.”

“Just like the hobbit?”

The words caused a sharp pain of guilt to course through Kili. “Aye, just like our hobbit.” He looked to Tauriel, intently. “I have no right to ask for this, not after the way Bilbo was treated, but none of us agree with what Thorin did and we are nothing but cowards for letting it happen. Can you watch over our hobbit for us? Make sure he is safe and not doing anything dangerous. We’d never forgive ourselves if anything happened to him. We don’t forgive ourselves now.”

Tauriel squeezed his hand in comfort. “I understand. Rest assured that I won’t allow anything to happen to him, or to you.”

Kili gave her a grin. “You don’t need to worry about me. No orcs will take me down, not when I have you to come back to.”

“I have been meaning to ask,” Tauriel removed her hand from his, “I know what your feeling are for me, and you know mine to you, but even with that your king and mine won’t allow it to continue. After this war, if we survive it, my kin and I will return back to the forest, and you back to your mountain. I am Captain of the Guard and you a Prince of Erebor. There are many obstacles working to separate us, and I am not sure-”

“What are you asking?” Kili’s eyebrows furrowed.

“I need to know what your intentions are, Kili. I cannot, and will not, devote myself in something that could easily be thrown away.”

“I am not asking that of you.” For a second Tauriel’s heart sank. “I will never ask you to devote yourself on something that could be _thrown away_. I want, and wish for you to devote yourself on something that will be _permanent_.” The dwarf prince said seriously.

Tauriel was rendered speechless. Deep in her heart she hoped for Kili to say something along the lines of what he meant, but to actually hear them, it felt like a dream and seemed almost impossible. “You wish for a lot and for something frowned upon by those we care for.”

Kili reached for her hand again. “I will gladly fight for what I wish, if you fight alongside me.”

Tauriel reached for both his hands with her own. Their fingers compared showed the obvious difference between them. His bulgy and short fingers covered in dirt and her long and slender ones that were well looked after were complete opposites, and yet to their eyes they looked perfect together. “My wish is the same as yours and my blades stand ready at your side.”

Their height differences made it an effort, but they didn’t care. Tauriel leaned down and Kili lifted up in order for them to meet in the middle. There was no awkward adjusting or accidental colliding. They kissed without mishap, naturally adjusting to what the other needed and where they stood. Compatible so none of them felt any discomfort caused by their muscles straining from keeping themselves in place for the kiss to continue on.

They kissed under the clear night sky. The stars shining above them, illuminating the land. Free from the terror that was to come.

 

~~

 

Bofur hid behind a broken pillar for the sixth time that day. He was located in a room a fair distance inside Erebor. In a room he currently called his ‘hide away from the company or more specifically Fili’ room. He named it as such after the news of orcs heading their way and their alliance with men and elves was announced, which was about three days ago.

The possibility of all of them dying during the war became all too real and now all family members made it their goal to spend as much time together, since none of them knew if they were to ever see each other alive again.

Bofur, Bombur and Bifur already made their promises that if any of them were to leave the others would live on without sorrow. Bombur made them both promise to look after his dwarflings and wife if his life was to end early. Bifur wanted them both to live life the fullest and enjoy it every day with a smile, doing what they loved. As for Bofur himself, all he wanted was for his family to live in peace with music in their hearts and beer in their bellies. He wanted them to dance until they dropped from exhaustion and dance even more. He wanted them to sing louder than any storm so that he could hear them within the very Halls he would be waiting in.

It was a tearful Ur gathering, but it needed to be done. Afterwards, the thought of the upcoming war plagued their minds and they found even together the impending doom lowered their spirits until they just couldn’t see each other without thinking they were discouraging the others. Separating and doing other activities was a great distraction, and Bofur got the greatest distraction of all, one in the form of Fili who was determined to spend the last possible minutes of their lives holding each other.

And by holding Bofur meant getting in each other’s pants.

He wasn’t against the idea, in fact he was all for it. The only thing he was against was the ‘Fili finding out he was pregnant’ bit. It was impossible to avoid now, what with his stomach having a visible bump that looked out of place. So here was Bofur hiding in a room he claimed for himself for the sole purpose of avoiding Fili. He knew he was causing the other pain, but he was still absolutely terrified of how the prince was going to react.

He knew he couldn’t keep up avoiding Fili forever, especially not with those loud footsteps he was hearing echoing in the distance and could only guess who it was. He was trapped now. The room only had one entrance and one exit, and the one making the footsteps was just passing through that one door, no doubt having spotted him and was now making his way through.

Bofur was sitting down next to the pillar, knees tucked as close to his chest as he could without causing discomfort to his abdomen. His head was leaning back against the stone and he was gazing up to the ceiling.

“Bofur?” The unmistakable voice of Fili asked when he stood by his side. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

Bofur hummed. “Sorry, been trying to hide from the company. Their moody spirits have started to affect me.” It was partially true. He just didn’t mention Fili was among those he was avoiding.

“I see.” Fili said and sat himself down, causing their legs to bump. After a few minutes of silence he asked, “Bofur, are you alright?”

Bofur looked at him, jumping back a little when he realized Fili’s face was closer then he first thought. “Of course I am, why would you-” His question was cut short when the prince quickly placed a hand on his jaw and drew him forward, starting a kiss and preventing him from pulling away.

Bofur melted at the contact. How he missed it so. The kissed deepened quickly. Bofur opened his mouth and Fili jumped at the opportunity. Without even realizing Fili began pushing Bofur back, bit by bit and only when Bofur felt the stone cold floor on his shoulders did he grasped their current state. His arms shot out and stopped Fili on the spot. “Wait, we can’t-”

“Do you wish to end this?” Fili suddenly asked, “Do you wish to end us right now?”

Bofur’s eyes widened in surprise. “What?”

“You keep pushing me away, stopping me from going any further. Are you terrified of me now? Did I do more damage than I originally thought in Beorn’s Hall?”

“No! It’s not that.”

“Then what it is?” Fili’s voice sounded frustrated and hurt. “Are you taking your words back and ending this? Have you changed your mind about me?”

Bofur quickly tried righting the misunderstanding. “I’m not changing my mind. I would never change my mind.” He tried thinking of an excuse and used the obvious one he had. “We are in the early stages, remember? We can’t jump ahead again, it’s not proper.”

“Forget proper.” Fili barked back. “I want you, Bofur. I want to hold you in my arms again and feel every inch of you. We might die soon and this could be the last chance I can have you. I want to remember everything. I want it engraved in my mind for me to remember in the Halls. We’ve already done it, what outcome will happen from doing it one last time?”

Bofur’s mind was blank. He had no idea how to respond to prevent Fili from stripping him down and knowing the truth. His heart was beating faster now. The look the young prince was giving him was almost heartbreaking. He was clearly hurt thinking that the reason Bofur refused him was because he wanted to end it. It was far from the fact. “Fili, there’s something-”

“I will ask again,” Fili interrupted, “do you wish to end this?”

He swallowed nervously. There was no choice now. He was trapped and the only thing left to do was reveal everything. This was hurting them both and it couldn’t go on. “I, Fili, there is something I need to tell you first. Please promise me that you won’t… run away, or-” Bofur motioned helplessly.

Fili remained quiet, signaling him to continue.

_‘Here goes nothing,’_ Bofur thought. “I should have told you this before, but you were under a spell, or at least I thought you were, that I didn’t think it was important. But then we jumped the boat and ended up doing-” He waved his hands between Fili’s groin and his own. “I didn’t think of the consequences and I have nobody to blame but myself.” He took a deep breath. “Fili, I’m a bearer.”

The room was instantly quiet. From off in the distance Bofur could swear he heard the sounds of a pin colliding with the floor. The odds of anyone carrying a pin after everything they went through was impossible. For the longest time Fili remained frozen with a most peculiar face. His eyes were wide, his eyebrows almost reached his hairline, his mouth was open completely and on his side Bofur felt an arm begin to shake. It was almost terrifying.

“Fili?” Bofur said, unsure.

Something snapped in Fili because Bofur was suddenly pushed completely to the ground by a hand on his chest. Out of reflex both his hands shot up to grab hold of the arm, in case it began to crush him, but it was completely forgotten when Fili began tearing his clothes off.

Bofur panicked and abandoned the arm on his chest for the arm trying to undress him. Fili only swatted the hands away without effort and began pulling his trousers down when he reached them from the layers of shirts he was wearing. Bofur began kicking, trying to push him off, but all Fili needed to do was sit on both his legs to stop them.

The miner’s chest filled with fear. Fear of what the prince wanted to do, the reason why he was undressing him without saying a word. Tears began forming at the thought that the gold prince didn’t want the child. His worst nightmare had come true. Fili wanted nothing to do with what he was carrying.

A sharp rip brought him back. He was now on the floor with his shirts pulled up, his pants down and his abdomen completely exposed. The bump was obvious now, and in sight of the prince’s eyes. Whatever he wanted to do was now within his power to do so.

Bofur shut his eyes and expected the worst. Fili could strike him down and end it all. Such an action was blasphemy, but Bofur could do nothing to fight back. Which was why when he felt the soft touch of fingers on top the swollen skin, slowly feeling the surface with such delicacy and gentleness, his eyes shot open and he let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

He studied the prince’s face, spotting the clear change from surprise to – was that amazement? He couldn’t tell. He looked amazed and at the same time joyful. As if it was the greatest news he had ever heard.

“Fili?” He tried again, cautiously.

Fili looked at him with wonder. “Bofur, are you-?”

“I’m pregnant… if that’s what you’re wondering. It’s yours.” He added in just to make sure.

When Fili gave him one of the brightest smiles he had ever seen it melted all his worries away instantly, at least _almost_ all of them.

“How far along?” The prince asked.

“According to Oin two months, makes sense since that’s about how long ago we left Beorn’s place.”

“Oin knows?”

Bofur nodded. “And Bombur and Bifur, also Bilbo and Tauriel.”

“You told them before you told me?” Fili looked hurt for a second.

“I didn’t mean to. Bilbo knows because he was hiding nearby when I was first told. Tauriel because she’s the one who took me to a healer when I started getting sick. Bombur and Bifur figured it out in Laketown during the party since I wasn’t drinking. They already knew I was a bearer. Oin knows because he did my checkup after Smaug attacked. It wasn’t my choice.”

“But why did you wait this long to tell me?”

Bofur avoided eye contact. “I didn’t want to worry you about this. It was my fault after all, for not telling you I was capable. I didn’t want to burden you when we still had Erebor to think about and Smaug. I was also… afraid.” He admitted.

“Afraid? Why would you be afraid? Did you believe I would not want the child?”

“That’s exactly what I believed. You’re still young, too young for you to start worrying about dwarflings. You could have also changed your mind, found yourself someone younger and better than me. I didn’t want to force you to stay with me because of this if that happened.”

“First of all,” Fili reached over and placed a hand on Bofur’s cheek, making him to face forward. “I am of age and therefore already knew I’d be worrying about dwarflings soon. Second, I already said I would never change my mind. You’re the one I want, Bofur. You’d never force me to stay with you because I’d willingly do it. Get it engraved in that hat of yours.”

For his finishing speech the prince placed his hand gently on the swollen skin. “And third, never think I don’t want this child. They are a part of you and a part of me and I’ll never abandon them.”

“This isn’t about abandoning,” Bofur fought back, “don’t feel responsible for something you had no idea could happen. Don’t feel you have to stay because it’s the right thing to do.”

“I want it.” Fili countered. “I want to stay, I want to be part of their life and no matter what you say or feel I’m staying.”

He leaned forward so their faces were closer, careful to avoid putting pressure on Bofur’s stomach. “When I fell in love with you I had given up the possibility of being a father. The thought of you being a bearer never crossed my mind. As for heirs to the throne I relied on Kili getting the job done. I felt horrible when he began having feelings for Tauriel. Thorin would never accept heirs from her, but now because of you, not only have you given those two fools a chance but you’ve also given me back what I thought impossible. If only you could understand how glad I am right now.”

Fili smiled and kissed his cheek. “I love you, Bofur. I love you both so much you can’t imagine.”

“I think I can.” Bofur returned a kiss of his own. “I love you just as much, Fili.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ey~! We're almost at the end! One last chapter to go!


	20. Eye Blinding End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The war and survivors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ey~ Crappy battle scenes, sorry about that! Fair warning, this doesn't end like you'd expect it to. 
> 
> Remember, I have no beta reader. All mistakes are mine. (Sorry!)

When the news of the orcs nearing the mountain was announced everyone began to comprehend the reality of the situation. The possibility of death intensified heavily on the company’s shoulders, especially when the loss was nearly right around the corner.

The company stood outside the mountain with weapons at hand. They each stood next to family and refused to be separated more than five feet. On the base of Erebor stood the armies, Dain’s army being the closest while Thranduil’s and Bard’s scattered together and formed an outer layer.

Just before making their spot outside for the upcoming war the company each shared their possible last words with each other. Some promised to survive; others made the ones promised to promise for them to survive, Dori being one of them to Nori while they both kept reassuring Ori they weren’t going to leave him. Those who weren’t shy gave each other strong, powerful hugs, trying desperately to express what they felt without actually saying any words. Gloin and Oin were ones who did this. Balin and Dwalin also, with the added words “Take care, brother,” from Balin. Fili and Kili refused to let each other go when they embraced, and when Thorin refused to even acknowledge them they refused to even more so.

Bofur would have enjoyed making one of these moments the last between his brother and cousin, and in another time it probably would have happened, but his family decided to do something different than the traditional. Bofur was about to go and give Bombur a monstrous hug when he spotted them but before he could envelope his arms around the rounded body Bombur abruptly placed a hand on his shoulder and pushed him back.

“You’re not going out there, brother.”

“What?” Bofur squeaked when he noticed the intensity of Bombur and Bifur’s faces. They didn’t look mad, not per say, but they certainly looked determined and a shadow seemed to loom over them.

They were located just inside Erebor’s gates, sunlight inches away from lighting them and a couple of steps from walking outside. Bombur was pushing him deeper back in, making distance between him and the gates. None of them said anything until his brother deemed it far enough and pointed to the ground, barking for him to stay put.

“You can’t expect me to stay and do nothing.” Bofur fought back. He already guessed exactly why they were doing this and he didn’t like being labeled delicate by them one bit. “I can still fight, and I will!”

“You have another to think about now. You can’t continue risking yourself.”

“You and Bifur will be out there!” Bofur looked frantic between the two. “I have a duty to fight alongside you both. You’re all I have left.”

Bifur walked up and patted him softly on his hat. _“Not anymore. We will fight to keep you safe. Give you and our niece or nephew a chance to live. All we ask for is you to stay behind.”_

“Bombur has his wife and children waiting back home! They expect him to-”

“ _I_ am not carrying another life in me.” Bombur interrupted. “You are.”

Before Bofur could raise another argument Bombur lifted his hand to stop him. “Enough. We ask you, please stay behind. Watch over my wife if it comes to it. Raise that child to be a strong prince or princess, if you ever reveal it to Fili.” He reached out and wrapped his giant arms around him in a hug. “Take care of yourself.”

Bofur refused to return the hug; instead he told them the truth about the prince. “Fili already knows.”

“O?” Bombur pulled back and looked genuinely surprised. “You finally gained the beard and told him? How did he take it?”

“He was… happy, and amazed. Me being a bearer never occurred to him.”

“Bet you threw a mother lode on his lap with that.”

“I did. He wants it.” Bofur said with a small smile.

“An actual heir to the throne.” Bombur’s face grew serious again. “All the more reason for you to stay behind and live.”

“No, no you can’t make me-”

“ _Cousin!_ ” Bifur barked. “ _Do this for us and stay behind. You have the more reason. Live._ ” He moved up and enveloped Bofur in a hug of his own. “ _Give this child a chance._ ”

Bofur gripped the back of his shoulders and buried his face. There was no use fighting against them. They had made up their minds and refused to accept anything else. He understood their reason, but did they honestly believe he could stand behind in the safety of walls while his remaining family fought for their lives on the other side? His friends? Fili?

He nodded against his cousin, agreeing to what they wanted but never fully accepting it done. No, he should be outside and fight alongside them, no matter what.

Bifur pushed him away when another voice rang from the side of Erebor’s gates. Fili stood there, searching for the one dwarf he chased on more than half of the journey and looked determined to get something off his chest. Taking the obvious hint, Bifur and Bombur stepped back, accepted Bofur’s response to their plea and marched out of Erebor’s gates. Shooting back last possible looks and disappearing with the light from the sun.

Fili took up the space they had occupied. He studied Bofur, looking at him as if he were a delicate piece of glass that could shatter from a simple passing breeze. Bofur didn’t enjoy the look. It made him feel pitied, or at least incapable of handling anything. Breakable was the last thing one would describe Bofur. He was a miner after all, something that required everything from him on a daily basis. He could also be considered a warrior now after joining and surviving the trip to Erebor. He wasn’t an expert like Dwalin or Thorin, but he could defend himself. He knew how to handle his mattock, in a sense.

Therefore, others shouldn’t be looking at him as if he might break in any second, but still they did. All because of an added characteristic to his person. One he neglected to remember and gave partial blame to Fili for making him so fragile now. It might have been his fault for not being careful, but Fili was just as responsible for it. Two halves to make a whole, or something along those lines.

When Fili didn’t make a move to speak Bofur started for him. “I wish you all would stop looking at me as if I will break.”

Fili’s face didn’t change. “I’m not looking at you as if you will break. I’m looking at you because I’m worried of what is coming might brake you, and shatter me. Are you going to fight?” The prince got straight to the point.

Bofur bit his bottom lip and looked at anything but Fili. “Bombur and Bifur already told me to stay put.”

“But are you? Or are you going to run straight out the gates the moment I turn around?”

“I… will stay, but I can’t promise not to run out and-”

Fili suddenly engulfed him in a fierce hug and buried his head in his neck. “ _âzyungel_ , please promise me you will stay and be out of reach from danger.”

Something burned inside Bofur’s throat. The way Fili pleaded almost sounded broken. As if everything was being taken away from him on the spot. From the war that was about to happen that possibility might be soon, and suddenly it hit him. The reality of the situation, how real it was becoming, how close death was to their gates. He might never see any of them again and this was the last time any of them had together. To have it happening hours from now. Bofur was terrified.

He gripped Fili and held him desperately. “Fili.”

“I love you, Bofur. I will always love you and never stop loving you. I beg you, please stay here. You above everyone else have to live. I will never forgive myself if I can’t protect you both.”

There was a wet feeling from where Fili’s face was hidden but Bofur ignored it.

“Please, Bofur.”

“Don’t leave me, Fili.”

“I have to be out there. I can’t protect you here.”

“You can protect us both right where you’re standing.” Bofur argued.

“I won’t allow any of them to pass through those gates.”

They could have continued the disagreement until the day ended, but they were running out of time and needed to get a move on. Fili was needed outside. Bofur was pleaded to stay inside. They ended their sentences abruptly when sounds from the army grew louder. They were active now. Something was said, or warned, for them to adjust and clatter their steels and armor. Fili and Bofur followed their separate orders in the end, but not before Fili kissed his beloved one last time. There were no last words.

 

~~

 

An hour later the air was filled with sounds of horns blowing frantically when the orcs finally reached Erebor. Many were given just enough time to comprehend the reality of their situation before chaos fell everywhere. There was a plan, there was always some sort of plan, but through the panic many had forgotten it.

The first sign of the enemy truly arriving were the swarm of bats that flew down from the sky, nearly blocking everything and only allowing them to see massive dark clouds made from the foul creatures. Many elves and men were the first to strike by unleashing a sea of arrows at the beasts. Hundreds fell, but did nothing to lessen the dark sky.

After them came the orcs, mounted on hundreds of wargs and none looked pleased. Each orc gave a feral screech and each warg gave a massive growl before charging forward. The ally armies charged as well and finally the war began.

Death on both sides was unavoidable. Battle cries ran across the field. Shrieks of pain sent chills down many spines. The sight of death shot fear through them all, except the enemy.

The company stood and watched from their position in front of Erebor. It was only a matter of time before the enemy scaled the mountain and reached them. They didn’t need to wait long. The first wave of orcs managed to climb halfway before dwarves scattered on the bottom and arrows shot from elves in the distance brought them down. The second wave they nearly reached the stepping level but were again taken down by the few that still remained from the first wave. It was the third wave that allowed them a foothold. For a moment it looked like the enemy managed to breach the lonely mountain, but what all of them failed to realize was something awaited them on the very top.

With a massive shout of “NOW!” a giant stone wall that had blocked the view of the entrance gates was thrown down and squashed many orcs, killing those that were standing and those that were still climbing as it skidded down, creating a path. The company charged out, swinging and shouting as they killed dozens, slaughtered more and avoided deadly blows that would have surely ended their lives right then and there.

They began to scatter across the field. All of them tried their best to remain as close to others as probable, but with all the chaos and the insane numbers of enemies everywhere it was near impossible to even spot an ally.

On the inside of the mountain, inside the safety of Erebor’s walls, Bofur paced back and forth anxiously. He was hearing the entire battle and it terrified him that he had no idea if the company was still alive. If his family, Bilbo or Fili were still alive. He stayed put for as long as his body possibly allowed him, but the cries of agony and screams of pain were too much to bear. He was going insane not knowing if it was Bombur screaming or Bifur, or if they were uninjured and were decapitating an orc and causing _them_ to do the screaming.

For the life of him Bofur couldn’t stay put, and when the sound of a scream that sounded too familiar for comfort rang through the halls and caused his blood to turn cold he ran as fast as his legs could carry him out the gates. The sight before him when he reached the edge nearly caused him to collapse from weak knees. There were dead bodies everywhere, piling on certain locations and causing small hills to form. Blood was spilled on every inch of dirt and splattered all over stone. The sight nearly sent him running back inside, but when he spotted his brother and cousin fighting desperately to prevent themselves from getting blocked in he charged with all his might.

He focused more on reaching his family then actually fighting, but along the way he managed to smack a couple of orcs on their heads. Barely managing to avoid a couple of blows to his shoulders, head, and even one clumsily aimed at his stomach (which nearly gave him a heart attack) he reached his family just as they made a path through the bodies of orcs. With a clear view they spotted him and both had their faces turn a pale white. Bofur ran over to them and killed two orcs while his brother and cousin returned back to fighting.

“What are you doing here?!” Bombur shouted when he had the chance.

“I came to fight alongside you!” Bofur smashed a head against a stone with his mattock.

Bombur sliced an arm clean off. “We are doing just fine without you! Get back inside!”

“I can’t! I heard a scream, I can’t go back inside.”

“Who’s scream?”

“I heard Fili,” Bofur revealed, “it sounded like him! He was screaming and I need to know why. Where is he?” He did a quick check around before turning to Bombur, waiting for answers.

Bombur pulled his weapon out of an orc that he had stabbed. “We lost him when the fifth wave of orcs came. We all separated. Fili went further down with Kili and Thorin.”

Bofur ran downhill before his brother even finished. “I have to find him!”

“Wait! Bofur, wai- Oh for the love of,” Bombur growled and chased after him with Bifur following close behind.

On the way down they each tripped, stabbed, decapitated and hurled orcs, and occasionally bats and wargs, in every which way in order to make a path. After catching up with the situation, Bombur and Bifur ran and protected the front with Bofur in-between them, hacking away as best as they could in order to prevent damage to their brother and cousin.

They managed to push through a couple of feet but orcs began to swarm again and without knowing their actual destination it was like they were generously giving themselves up. Luckily, they reunited with Dori and his brothers who were doing a marvelous job sticking together. With their help, especially Dori’s, the swarm of orcs was lessened and it gave Bofur just enough sight and time to both see and search for his Fili. He spotted no one before an orc appeared out of nowhere and raised a hand in strike. It didn’t even manage to bring it down before Bombur jumped in and pushed it away with his massive gut.

Bombur was breathless and looked to Bofur, pleadingly. “Brother, _please_ get back inside!”

The familiar sound of screaming in the distance stopped Bofur from answering, instead he look around for the source. He spotted his love down below at the base of the mountain, a stone step or two away from where he was standing. Fili was up and still fighting, but something was wrong. Close to Fili were two other forms. One form was kneeling just behind him, Fili using his body as a shield. He was still moving but didn’t seem to be able to stand. When the form stirred slightly to the left Bofur recognized him as Kili. The youngest prince and brother had been wounded. And that wasn’t the worst of it.

In front of Kili was a form laying unconsciously on the ground, and Bofur guessed right away who it was from the fine clothing and the fact that Fili and Kili were there protecting them. It was Thorin, heavily wounded and not looking to get up anytime soon.

Without even thinking and forgetting his brother was still standing, begging him to return, Bofur took off towards the fallen heirs. From behind he heard Bombur shout something after him and Bifur calling him something unpleasant, but he was so focused on just reaching his goal that he muffled their sound, and any other sound, out.

He was jumping down the steps, something he probably shouldn’t had done, but he needed to hurry. Fili was getting overpowered. Kili was struck on his shoulder and on his side by an arrow that seemed to come out of nowhere. Thorin was not moving one inch. A massive body of an orc appeared and blocked Bofur’s view on all three. Kili was still in pain to even move an arm and Fili was too busy fighting off four other orcs. With a cry Bofur charged, raised his mattock and slammed it as hard as he could on the orc’s back. The beast was sent crashing down and gave Bofur the perfect chance to smash its head against the ground.

To the side he heard screams coming from Fili and turned just in time to witness the four orcs smash their weapons against him. One hit his shoulder, another his arm, one got lucky and smashed it against his beautiful face and the last had a sword that it sliced through on his side. Bofur screamed from the sheer horror of it all. It was a nightmare coming true and he nearly felt his heart stop when Fili fell back and didn’t move. The orcs were about to strike again, but so focus were they on their prey they failed to realize the mad charging forms of Bombur and Bifur who never hesitated to stab their weapons through each orc.

Bofur quickly ran to his love’s side. Fili was still breathing, gasping as he tried to live. Bofur grabbed his hand and squeezed. “Fili?”

Fili didn’t answer, still desperately trying to breath.

 Bofur continued to call for him. So long as the prince was still breathing there might still be a chance.

Bombur and Bifur suddenly jumped in front of the two and blocked them from view. From the small space in-between them Bofur spotted exactly who they were trying to block them from. The two orc leaders that had been hunting them since the beginning of the journey were standing side by side, glaring at them and looking feral.

The pale one took steps forward, the other remaining behind. It sneered and growled and just looked ready to kill. When it was a foot away from the dwarves it gave them a feral grin. Azog had cornered prey and he was eager for the kill.

From up in the sky something screeched, causing them all, including Azog to look up. What was once a dark sky filled with bats was now nearly cleared and through an opening came a group of great eagles flying down and snatching orcs and wargs with their giant talons. Enemies upon enemies were sent flying, falling down and dying on impact. Something that had Azog none too happy. He screamed to the sky before turning and aiming his glare at the fallen king, Thorin. There were obstacles in the way, however.

Bombur and Bifur refused to move. Their weapons were aimed directly at Azog and looked like they wouldn’t hesitate to fight him. Azog looked almost happy at their pitiful attempt. In a hurry to finish it all he charged the foot of distance, making it inches really, and raised his weapon to strike. Bofur was about to shout for his brother and cousin when something stopped Azog cold. He couldn’t see it at first because he was blocked from view but when the pale orc turned to look at something behind him Bofur spotted it. It was an arrow, an arrow that was pierced through his shoulder. Where the arrow came from he didn’t know until a massive roar sounded across from them and both Bombur and Bifur moved to back away.

With a clear view Bofur saw an odd sight. A huge bear was running straight to Azog. Any smaller orcs that tried to get in its way were easily dealt with by flying arrows that were being shot by Tauriel and Legolas, who were both riding the bear. Azog moved to strike at the bear, raising both his weapon and his arm, but he was clearly no match. All the bear did was jump and used its great weight to pin down the pale orc. Without wasting time the bear lunged at his throat, finally ending Azog the defiler.

Tauriel and Legolas jumped off as the bear finished its attack. They aimed specifically for Bolg and in a flurry of movement and synchronized attacks Bolg did not stand a chance.

Bofur would have cheered from happiness if Fili didn’t suddenly start coughing. Worried, he began calling for the prince again, still with no response.

“Bofur?!” Turning to his name Bofur was surprised to see Bilbo standing in the middle of the battle field. He didn’t even know how the hobbit got there.

“Bilbo?”

“What are you doing out here?! You’re supposed to be inside!”

Bofur couldn’t exactly answer that. Not after so many have asked him that same question, also because his attention was taken away from Bilbo when Tauriel walked up and saw him as well. “Bofur? You should not be out here.”

Any argument that was going to be between the three was stopped when Bilbo and Tauriel spotted their significant others lying on the floor, unmoving. They raced to their sides while Bofur focused on his own again.

“Fili?” He tried again and cheered when he got a response. A small one, but anything counted. “Fili, my love stay with me. Come on, please stay awake.”

Fili didn’t move but his eyelids twitched when he said, “’fur?”

Bofur felt a tear form in his eye. “Aye, I’m here.”

“Y’ur’ no’ s’pose’ to b’ he’e.” Fili mumbled through his wheezing.

“I know I’m not, but I couldn’t sit by and leave you or my family alone.”

“Bot’ alri’t?” On the side Bofur noticed Fili trying to move his arm closest to him, trying to lift it up. He understood and carefully helped him, placing it over his stomach.

“Yeah, we’re both alright. Not a single injury on us.”

Fili managed a strained smile. “Go’d”

When Fili remained silent for a minute Bofur panicked. “Fili? Fili, don’t fall asleep on us. Stay awake, stay with me. Fili! Don’t you dare leave us you selfish-”

The world around them continued. With the great eagles victory was upon them. Orcs began to diminish. Many were killed and the few that remained ran for their lives, later to be hunted down.

The injured on their side were quickly rushed to healers, the heirs to Erebor being among them. Some of the company with heavy wounds were taken while those with light scratches waited.

The last thing Bofur, Bilbo and Tauriel saw were their loves being take away under waiting tents and ordered to keep out. They had no choice but to follow the orders.

 

~~

 

It was an agonizing time waiting, for anyone who had family or friends inside tents.

Thorin was in a tent of his own while Fili and Kili were together in a tent three spaces down. Bilbo was waiting and occasionally pacing just outside Thorin’s tent while Tauriel and Bofur became waiting buddies outside the one tent holding the two princes.

After Tauriel (and Bilbo, Bombur and Bifur too as a matter of fact) scolded Bofur for running around the battle field she hovered over him, checking for injuries and repeatedly asking if he was uninjured.

Bofur reassured her five times before she finally accepted it and together they sat and waited for news. How long they waited he didn’t know, but when two elves stepped out they couldn’t stand up fast enough, and when they revealed the two brothers would survive they nearly went down again in relief. They leaned against each other for support.

“They will live.” Tauriel breathed out with a smile.

“Aye,” Bofur said with his own, “they will live.”

They continued to wait outside, long after they were told the great news until one of the healers finally allowed them a visit. They were told to be careful and not to disturb their sleep. Bofur and Tauriel didn’t need to be told twice. They walked inside and went to their respective sides, gently sitting close but too afraid to actually make physical contact.

Fili and Kili were still breathing, and while their color was pale they had just enough to look alive. Bofur was glad for it. For a time he was content with just watching Fili’s chest move up and down, signaling he was still going. It was enough to reassure Bofur that the prince was just sleeping and not actually dead.

For hours they remained like this. Occasionally, they both whispered words to encourage the princes to wake up. It didn’t happen right away, but they got small reactions that signaled the princes were hearing them. Bofur smiled when he noticed twitching from Fili. Clear signs that he might wake up soon. Unconsciously, he began stroking his golden hair, remembering two months ago how close he was to stealing a strand for himself.

His playful streak surfacing he separated the strands and held on to a single one. “You know,” He started while studying the strand, “I was tempted to snatch one straight from your head. Keep it and hold it close, but I didn’t think you’d enjoy separating from one. Someone might have stolen it from under my nose thinking it was real gold. Course now that you’re a prince gold will be the last thing you worry about.”

Bofur hummed and placed the strand back to its rightful place. “A head full of gold, a crown and a future room full of actual gold and gems, what _won’t_ you have now?”

“I don’t have my husband and child, yet.”

Bofur’s eyes suddenly snapped to Fili’s face. His eyes were still closed but his mouth was open as if he had just spoken, and unless he was going insane he was positive he heard the prince’s voice.

“Fili? Are you awake?”

Fili’s eyes were still closed when he answered, “I think I’m awake. Everything is dark.”

“That’s because your eyes are closed. Come on, open them.”

The injured dwarf must have felt better because he smiled when he said, “I don’t dare to.”

Bofur had been through this before. An all too familiar scene that was repeating again. He couldn’t help but smile too. “You didn’t get splashed with a potion. You have no excuse.”

“No, but if I open them I might fall in love with the first person I see.” On cue he opened his eyes and looked to Bofur without turning his head. “Scratch that. I’m falling even more in love with the person I’m seeing.”

Bofur swatted near Fili’s arm, avoiding actually hitting him. “Quit your sweet talking. How are you feeling?”

“Better now that you’re here.”

“You’ve gone mad.” Bofur said, playfully.

Stopping their banter Fili grew serious. “My brother? Thorin?”

“Kili is fine. He’s over there with Tauriel watching over him. I haven’t heard about Thorin yet, but Bilbo is with him. Your uncle is a strong one. I’m sure he’ll pull through.”

Fili accepted the answer. “The company? What about you?”

“They’re all fine. None of us were wounded as bad as you three. I wasn’t even injured.”

“Good. I’d be mad at you if you did.” Fili said and tried to frown.

“With Bombur and Bifur watching my back? I didn’t even get a scratch.” Bofur decided to keep the part where an orc nearly struck his stomach a secret. The last thing he wanted was to give Fili a fright in his condition.

“When I can I’m going to punish you for not listening and staying put.”

“Is that a promise?”

“Count on it.”

Bofur grinned and carefully leaned over to kiss his love on the cheek. With a quick peck he pushed back when he felt a pressure on his stomach and found Fili’s hand over it.

“You’re not supposed to be moving yet.” He grounded, but Fili ignored him.

“I’m glad you’re both alright.”

“And we’re glad you’re alright.”

Fili managed another smile and said, “I love you. I love you both so much.”

Bofur returned the smile. “We love you too, ya big idiot.”

“I’m marrying you the moment I can stand.”

“And I’ll be waiting until then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, there is an obvious sequel, but I must warn you (again) the sequel may be considered crack, in a way. Mostly involving the children I have planned for Bofur and Fili. 
> 
> Sneak peak information!  
> I'm actually really lazy to make children for them, so instead I'm going with the similar thing of "Frodo looks like Thorin and Bilbo's love child and so Frodo is their child" concept and taking an existing character, playing around and making it their child. Who that character is? I won't say their names (hint). They're main ones that hardly had their parents mentioned in the books. And have the colors (kind of like Frodo) to pass them off as their kid. (Psst! They are kind of important in Lotr!)
> 
> Here we are at the end of Blind Eye. I hope you guys enjoyed it and still have you for the sequel! Thanks again for reading~! You're the best. 
> 
> What did you think of it?


End file.
